
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 [...]

Health Care Roundup: “Toxic Town” in WV Battles High Cancer Rates; CMS News: Risk Adjustment, 340b, Site-Neutral Payments; Hospital Costs; More
CMS Resumes ACA Risk Adjustment Payments — The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will continue payments—amounting to $10.4 billion—to the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) risk-adjustment program. The program was established to ensure that risk is spread across insurance companies. Recently, in one of the many efforts to dismantle the ACA, CMS announced that it would halt the payments, [...]

Health Care Roundup: Trump Drug Pricing Plan; HHS Cuts ACA Navigator Funding; CAR-T Therapy Coverage Issues; Biosimilar News; and More
Comment Period Closed for Trump Drug Pricing Plan — Comments for the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) drug pricing proposal were due this week. The plan, introduced by the Trump administration, outlined proposals seeking to increase competition, reduce out-of-pocket costs and incentivize better negotiations for lower drug prices. NCCS joined with other organizations of the Cancer Leadership Council (CLC) to provide comments [...]

NCCS Awarded American Institutes for Research Grant to Develop New Outcome Measure: “Return to Functional Status”
UPDATE FEBRUARY 2020: Read a summary of this research project at www.canceradvocacy.org/RFS.
The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship…

NCCS Joins Cancer Leadership Council Comment Letter Regarding the Drug Pricing Blueprint “American Patients First”
The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) joined with other organizations of the Cancer Leadership Council (CLC) to…

A Medical School Perspective: Beyond the Science, We Must Learn to Communicate with Patients
By Nainika Nanda, MD — Survivorship. What does this mean? Oncology highlights patients currently battling cancer. However, survivorship encompasses a longer timeline. Cancer requires lifelong care, which is achieved through proper doctor-patient communication. In fact, this relationship is a keystone of medicine. Unfortunately, it can lose focus in the sea of information medical students must master. A common analogy for medical education is [...]

Health Care Roundup: CMS Halts ACA Risk Payments, Slashes Navigator Funding; Long-Term Outcomes for Young Survivors; Drug Pricing; More
CMS Halts ACA Risk-Adjustment Payments and Cuts Funding for Health Coverage Navigators — This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced two new actions that could harm the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces and enrollment. Last Saturday, CMS announced that it would halt the risk-adjustment program, including $10 billion in payments due to insurers for costs incurred last year. [...]

Health Care Roundup: Association Health Plans and ACA Repeal; Benefits of Exercise for Childhood Survivors; NIH Grant System; and More
Association Health Plans Rule Finalized – The association health plans (AHP) rule was finalized by the Labor Department as the Trump administration continues its efforts to strike down the Affordable Care Act (ACA) through regulatory action. While marketed as a way for small businesses and trade groups to sell cheaper coverage, the rule allows plans NOT to cover the ACA’s 10 “essential health benefits.” NCCS joined with the Cancer Leadership Council [...]

NCCS Announces Winners of the 2018 Ellen L. Stovall Award for Innovation in Patient-Centered Cancer Care
Longtime NCCS CEO Ellen Stovall made a lasting impact on the cancer community, both personally and professionally, through her warmth,…

Health Care Roundup: DoJ Decision Not to Defend ACA Puts Patient Protections At Risk; “Cancer Treatment Beyond Mutant-Hunting”
HEALTH CARE HIGHLIGHTS – ACA Pre-Existing Conditions Protections are at Risk – As we reported last week, the Department of Justice (DoJ) determined that it will NOT defend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the lawsuit filed by the state of Texas and several other states. In fact, the DoJ is breaking with long-held legal precedent to defend laws passed by Congress. Instead, the DoJ has decided to support the legal argument of several attorneys general [...]

Health Care Roundup: DOJ Won’t Defend ACA Provisions in Court, Health Care’s Role in 2018 Midterms, and More
Administration Action Threatens Coverage for People with Pre-existing Conditions — In a court filing yesterday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) stated that it would not defend key provisions of the Affordable Care Act in a lawsuit brought by Texas and several other states. One provision is the individual mandate, which was repealed in the tax bill passed by Congress and signed into law last December. Also at issue in the case is coverage and [...]