March 13, 2020
RESCHEDULED: Prevent Cancer Advocacy Workshop
Due to unforeseen circumstances surrounding the new coronavirus (COVID-19), the 2020 Advocacy Workshop: Genetics, Genomics and Biomarker Testing is rescheduled for September 9, 2020. Though the date has changed, the location will remain the FHI 360 Conference Center at 1825 Connecticut Ave NW, 8th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20009.
The Prevent Cancer Foundation® is committed to the health and well-being of all populations. Our shared advocacy work is important to us, but now is the time to work together to reduce the risk of exposure and ensure all our communities are safe.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and look forward to greeting you and your colleagues on September 9, 2020.
For any questions or concerns, please contact: Taylor Patton at taylor.patton@preventcancer.org or (703) 519-2216.
Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
March 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month! It’s a great time to get a refresher on what you can do to reduce your risk.
Here are some ideas on how to get involved:
- Get screened: Start screening at age 45 if you’re at an average risk, but if you have certain risk factors you may need to start screening sooner or get screened more often—talk to your health care professional.
- Educate yourself: Create healthy habits to reduce your risk. Learn about your family history.
- Raise awareness: Use our social media toolkit to raise awareness about colorectal cancer and encourage screenings.
- Advocate: Ensure Medicare beneficiaries have access to colonoscopies without hidden costs.
- Join Fight Colorectal Cancer’s virtual Call on Congress starting on March 15 to urge members of Congress to support colorectal cancer research!
With your help, we can create awareness and make this the most successful Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month yet!
Cancer groups submit appropriations requests to Congress
The One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC) coalition, a group of cancer-related patient advocacy organizations and provider groups, submitted its appropriations requests, seeking funding for various health care agencies supporting cancer screenings, treatment and research.
The requests are as follows:
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) – $44.684 billion
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Cancer Programs – $559 million
- Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) – $270.5 million
The full breakdown of supported programs can be found here.
As a member of OVAC, the Prevent Cancer Foundation® stands with our fellow advocacy organizations in seeking appropriate funding to ensure federal agencies have the resources they need to continue their critical work improving cancer care. Together, we can Stop Cancer Before It Starts!®
White House official lays out administration’s drug pricing principles
In an op-ed to The Wall Street Journal this week, White House Domestic Policy Council Director Joe Grogan presented the principles guiding the Trump administration’s approach to drug pricing efforts.
In the piece, he highlighted five goals:
- Cap out-of-pocket expenses in Medicare Part D
- Provide an option to cap monthly pharmacy costs
- Offer protection against the cost cliff created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
- Give insurance companies an incentive to negotiate better prices for costly drugs
- Limit drugmakers’ price increases
“These White House principles for drug-pricing legislation are achievable. They have been endorsed by members of Congress from both sides of the aisle,” Grogan said.
Though reducing drug pricing has long been a goal for both Democrats and Republicans, Congress has yet to agree on how to achieve these cost reductions. Proposals from both the House and Senate have been introduced, but neither has been able to pull in the bipartisan support to push them through the legislative process. In the 2020 election year, health care continues to be a priority for voters across the country. Many actions and proposals are likely to be presented over the course of the next year, and we will provide updates as they develop.
