
Coronavirus and Cancer Resources for Survivors
Cancer survivors have expressed concerns and questions about COVID-19, the coronavirus, and how they may be at higher risk due to their cancer history. Here are some resources about COVID-19 generally, and its impact for cancer survivors specifically. NCCS is seeking answers from public health experts on the coronavirus and its impact on cancer patients and survivors. Please leave a comment [...]

NCCS Applauds House Vote on Behalf of Patients to Defend the ACA and Its Pre-Existing Condition Protections
Today, the House of Representatives voted to formally intervene in Texas v. United States, the lawsuit seeking to invalidate the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The resolution passed the House by a vote of 235-192, with three Republican members voting in support. The resolution now heads to the Senate where Republican leaders will likely not bring it up for a vote. “The Supreme Court ruled repeatedly that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is constitutional [...]

NCCS Letter to CMS Highlights Concerns About Proposed Medicare Part B Reforms
On December 31st, NCCS submitted our final comment letter of the year to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding the advance notice of proposed rulemaking for the Medicare Part B drug program.
In the letter, we outlined concerns that this proposal could have on Medicare beneficiaries such as impacts on patient access to innovative therapies, as well as concerns regarding the enormous scope of the test. NCCS suggested [...]

Remembering Jennifer Friar Groves
By CEO Shelley Fuld Nasso — I’d like to share the story of my dear friend, Jennifer Friar Groves, who died earlier this month at the age of 32 from metastatic breast cancer. She gave me her permission to share her story, and in fact, she desperately wanted her story to be shared. Jennifer was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2016 at the age of 29. She lived in Booneville, Mississippi, in northern Mississippi near Tupelo. She was too young for regular [...]

NCCS “Not Persuaded” Drug Pricing in DTC Ads Will Improve Doctor-Patient Communication
Earlier this year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that would require information about drug costs be included in direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements of prescription drugs and biological products. NCCS issued a statement regarding the proposal, saying, “While we understand [...]

NCCS Statement on District Court Ruling Affordable Care Act Unconstitutional
Silver Spring, M.D. – The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), a national organization representing survivors of all…

Remembering Kathryn West
Last weekend, the patient advocacy community lost a fierce advocate, leader, and innovator in raising awareness of the issues cancer survivors experience. Kathryn West, oncology nurse and fierce advocate for cancer patients, died of cancer herself in Los Angeles last Sunday. NCCS first met Kathryn through her role as Advocacy Director for Amgen. Her vision to increase awareness of resources for people affected by cancer led her to champion the [...]

NCCS Health Care Roundup: Gov’t Shutdown Threat; NCCS Webinar; Analysis of 8 Democratic Universal Health Care Plans; More
After days of tense negotiations, the House and Senate left town Thursday with no plan to avoid a partial government shutdown. The House will return December 19, leaving only 72 hours for both parties to reach an agreement before a shutdown goes into effect at midnight on December 21. Most of the tension surrounding the potential shutdown surrounds funding for President Trump’s border wall. This week, NCCS hosted a post-election webinar [...]

Health Care Roundup: NCCS Meets with Senate Offices Re CMS Waivers; Poor Hospital Quality; Married vs. Single May Impact Cancer Treatment; More
NCCS Meets with Senate Offices to Share Serious Concerns Regarding New CMS Waiver Guidance — This week, NCCS and other organizations in the Cancer Leadership Council participated in meetings with Senate offices to discuss the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) recent waiver guidance. This guidance would permit states to pursue waivers that would undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its patient protections. [...]

Health Care Roundup: CMS Issues New Waiver Options to States to Undermine ACA; Open Enrollment Numbers Still Lag; Role of AI in Health Care; More
CMS Issues New Waiver Options to Undermine the Affordable Care Act — This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released four new waiver concepts that would allow states to pursue alternatives to the ACA. This announcement follows recent CMS guidance that outlined broad authority to the states to design their health care systems through a waiver of key ACA requirements and provides states with more specific [...]

NCCS Strongly Objects to New CMS Waiver Options That Seek to Further Undermine the ACA
NCCS issued the following statement regarding today’s announcement by the Trump administration outlining options states can pursue to circumvent the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Today’s announcement of these policy options follows previous Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidance that outlined broad authority to the states to design their health care systems through a “waiver” of key ACA requirements and provides states [...]