United States Capitol Building

Dear Advocates,

Your efforts are making an impact. Every time you exercise your right as a US citizen to communicate with Congress, you are changing the landscape for colorectal cancer patients. We applaud you for your passion and advocacy.

Has Your Representative Cosponsored H.R. 1070? ACTION REQUESTED

Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) introduced on March 15 the “Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act,” (H.R. 1070).The bill would waive Medicare beneficiary coinsurance for colorectal cancer screening colonoscopy when a polyp is removed.  As of May 16, the bill had 28 cosponsors. To find out if your representative has cosponsored H.R. 1070 go to www.thomas.gov and search by bill number.  If your representative has not cosponsored H.R. 1070 please contact your representative’s office at 202-224-3121 and ask for their cosponsorship of H.R. 1070.

Still Looking for a Republican 

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has agreed to introduce the companion measure to H.R. 1070 in the Senate. Sen. Brown is expected to introduce his bill in the near future; however, introduction has been delayed with Sen. Brown’s preference to introduce the bill with a Republican.

Kudos to Rep. Charlie Dent

On March 29, the Lehigh Valley News published a letter written by Fight Colorectal Cancer president Carlea Bauman commending Rep. Dent for his leadership on the Medicare coinsurance issue. The letter was submitted in response to a letter published in the paper that criticized Rep. Dent for appearing in advertisements published in the Morning Call and Express Times encouraging Pennsylvanians to get screened for colorectal cancer.  The ads were paid for by the Courtney Anne Diacont Memorial Foundation.

President’s Budget Cuts CDC Colorectal Funds 

In April, President Obama released his FY 2014 budget which would cut nearly $4 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP). The CDC estimates that the loss of funding will mean at least five fewer state programs (out of the current 29) working to prevent colorectal cancer. The president’s budget assumes that less federal funding is needed for direct screenings, such as colorectal, breast, and cervical screenings, because most health plans are required to cover these screenings without co-pays or deductibles, and because, starting in 2014, the Affordable Care Act ensures that no one can be denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition. Fight Colorectal Cancer will be advocating preserving current CRCCP funding levels and will need your help. Stay tuned. (Read Fight Colorectal Cancer’s statement on this issue.)

Fight Colorectal Cancer Meets with CDC Officials

On May 8, 2013, Fight Colorectal Cancer was represented at a meeting with officials from the CDC to discuss how funding for the CRCCP and the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program can be protected in an era of health care reform.

House Lawmakers Support Funding for CRCCP – GREAT JOB ADVOCATES!

Thanks to all the Fight Colorectal Cancer advocates who asked their representatives to sign a letter in support of the CRCCP. The letter was circulated by Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. and called upon appropriators to fully fund the CRCCP in FY 2014. Rep. Payne was joined by 53 of his House colleagues on the letter.

Action on FY 2013 Spending Bills Complete 

In March Congress completed work on FY 2013 spending bills. The Labor-HHS-Education spending bill was finalized as a continuing resolution, meaning that programs, including the CRCCP will be funded at FY 2012 levels through the remainder of the fiscal year which ends September 30. The CRCCP is funded at $43 million which will be subject to sequestration and other rescissions. Fight Colorectal Cancer has learned that state colorectal cancer programs will be notified at the end of June by CDC of their FY 2013 funding allocations.

DoD Cancer Research Program Gets Funding Boost – GREAT JOB ADVOCATES!

In March Congress passed and the President signed into law a FY 2013 Department of Defense spending bill. The bill provides $15 million for the Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (a $2.2 million increase over FY 2012).

NIH Takes Cut for FY 2013

The FY 2013, when sequestration and department transfers are accounted for, the National Institutes of Health (NIH’s) FY 2013 budget will be $28.926 billion (compared to $30.623 billion in FY 2012) and the NCI’s budget will be $4 .779 billion (compared to $5.069 billion in FY 2012).

Glimmer of Good News for NIH Funding

In a bit of good news for NIH funding, Sens. Durbin (D-IL) and Moran (R-KS) were successful in including an amendment to the Senate Budget Resolution that would create a deficit-neutral reserve fund that effectively provides a framework for growth of the NIH budget over the next decade. Establishing a reserve fund allows the Budget Committee chair to adjust the budget resolution’s overall spending and revenue limits and the spending allocations for particular congressional committees to ensure that legislation accomplishing a reserve fund’s goal — in this case, increasing funding for NIH research — will not be subject to a procedural bar if it breaches those limits or allocations, so long as the legislation does not increase the deficit.

President’s Budget Offers Slight NIH Funding Increase 

President Obama’s FY 2014 budget request includes an NIH funding increase of $471 million (a 1.5 percent increase) over FY 2012 amounts. The NIH estimates this would result in 351 more research project grants in FY 2014.

Patient Equal Access to Chemotherapy Bill Introduced – ACTION REQUESTED

The “Cancer Drug Coverage Parity Act” (H.R. 1801) was introduced by Rep. Higgins on April 26. The bill requires insurers that cover anticancer medications that are intravenously administered or injected to provide no less favorable coverage for oral anti-cancer medications. Please email your representative to urge him/her to cosponsor this legislation.

Carlea Bauman, President of Fight Colorectal Cancer

I am deeply disappointed that President Obama’s fiscal year (FY) 2014 budget would strip nearly $4 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Colorectal Cancer Control Program. The CDC estimates that the loss of funding will mean at least five fewer programs (out of the current 29) working to prevent colorectal cancer.

The president’s budget assumes that less federal funding is needed for direct screenings, such as colorectal, breast, and cervical screenings, because most health plans are required to cover these screenings without co-pays or deductibles, and because, starting in 2014, the Affordable Care Act ensures that no one can be denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition.

However, a number of barriers contribute to low colorectal cancer screening rates, such as lack of awareness and misinformation about screening – not just lack of health coverage. A well-funded colorectal cancer control program is needed to support important awareness and education initiatives across the country.

The hopeful news is that Congress does not have to accept the President’s budget. I urge colorectal cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and physicians to let their members of Congress know that a cut to the colorectal cancer control programs at the CDC is unacceptable.

On a positive note, the President’s budget would increase research funding to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by $471 million (a 1.5 percent increase) over FY 2012 amounts. The NIH estimates this will result in 351 more research project grants in FY 2014.

I recognize that the President and Congress are budgeting in a difficult economic environment, but our country needs dynamic thinking from our policymakers when it comes to budget decisions. Preventing colorectal cancer and targeted treatment reduce downstream costs to our health care system and to our federal government. That makes good budget sense to me.

OOOOh there’s something about a good ole’ fashioned Washington, DC rally that really gets us going.

Next Monday you will find Fight Colorectal Cancer standing alongside many other health-focused non-profits at the Rally for Medical Research.

Why?

Well, we do have a thing for The Hill.

But we’re participating to show our government that we too have a dream – a county that invests in a cure for colorectal cancer and supports medical research.

If you’re in or around the DC area Monday, April 8, join us at the Rally for Medical Research.

If you’re not around – keep reading for how you can get involved! You don’t have to live near DC to make a difference.

After all, that’s why we have US representatives from every state.

What’s This Rally All About?

Many sponsors and partner organizations are coming together to make the rally a reality. Because another reality is that federal funding for medical research is on the chopping block.

As this continues, the future health of Americans is in jeopardy.

As we learned from our researchers at the Call-on Congress, medical research is critical if we want to find a cure for disease, stay healthy and lengthen lives. But when federal funds do not support the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal agencies, we shoot ourselves in the foot.

Or, should we say, we let ourselves go. Or we let disease take control… you get the idea.

Understanding the NIH

We don’t plan to stand outside with signs and bat our eyes at lawmakers for fun.

We have a specific ask:  We want to see more federal funds go to the NIH. As the Rally website explains it,

The federal government plays an essential role in funding medical research in the United States, primarily through the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH is part of the Department of Health and Human Services and is made up of 27 Institutes and Centers, each with a specific research agenda, often focusing on particular diseases or body systems. Currently funded at $30.6 billion, the NIH is the world’s leading supporter of medical research; research that has had an immeasurable impact on all of our lives by enhancing public health, lengthening life, reducing the burden of illness and disability and most importantly, saving lives.   We must continue the vigorous pursuit of new breakthroughs in science, health and medicine that are supported through the NIH to improve the entire spectrum of patient care, from prevention, early detection, and diagnosis, to treatment and long-term survivorship.  Moreover, NIH funding does more than save lives.  It fuels the U.S. economy and creates jobs in our communities.

We must fight to keep the NIH funded and protected if we want to stay on top of the world’s groundbreaking medical research.

Especially when it comes to colorectal cancer.

Are you Coming to The Rally?

If you’re coming out for the DC rally, here’s the info you’ll need: Medical Research Rally Information Page

Can’t Make It? No problem.

If you cannot attend the rally (we get it – we work, too) – here’s how you can help:

• Email your reps
• Tweet at your reps
• Write a Letter to the Editor this week

Check out the Rally for Medical Research’s Toolkit for sample tweets and messages – you don’t even have to come up with this stuff on your own!

We hope you can join us once again to demand a cure for colorectal cancer and fight for medical research funding.

Let’s show the world we are strong – and we think it should stay that way.

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) says that declining budgets at the National Institutes of Health a crisis standing in the way of bringing cancer research to patient’s lives.

For the past ten years, NIH budgets have been essentially flat.  Factoring in rising research costs, flat funding means a loss of nearly $6 billion dollars in purchasing power.

AACR is calling on its members and the advocacy community to work even harder with Congress to invest in medical research.  The AACR board of directors said,

Therefore, the AACR announced this morning that it plans to redouble its efforts to engage with Congress to make research funding a higher national priority, raise public awareness of the importance of continued investment in cancer research, and call on its 34,000 members and broader advocacy community constituencies to join together to help better explain and illustrate the value of cancer research and biomedical science to the economic health and well-being of this nation.

AACR President Judy E. Garber, MD, MPH said,

We already see the effects on our most precious resource, young investigators. This is potentially disastrous, as we are relying on them to ensure the continuing pipeline of new discoveries that will have ever greater impact on the welfare of patients and the public health.

AACR is holding its 2012 annual meeting in Chicago this week – Accelerating Science: Concept to Clinic.

Embryonic Stem Cells (Image Courtesy of MedicineWorld.org)

This afternoon, a federal appeals court lifted an injunction that barred the federal government from funding human embryonic stem cell research pending the outcome of a lawsuit challenging the Obama administration’s new policies on the controversial field of science.  The decision today to lift the injunction means the NIH can continue funding embryonic stem cell research as the original case works its way through the court process.
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