Public Policy & Advocacy News
The efforts of advocates across the country bring us closer to our goal of eradicating this disease and ensuring access to high quality cancer care for every patient. Below is a summary of policy issues of high priority to the Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) and its members, including research funding and access to quality health care. Learn more about each issue and how together we can affect change and grow support for those issues most important to the lymphoma community.
Federal Investment in Lymphoma Research
National Institutes of Health: Funding Lifesaving Research
Federal investment in biomedical research through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has led to the development of treatments for many chronic diseases, including lymphoma. This year, LRF advocates have urged Members of Congress to provide NIH with the funding it needs to help identify new treatments for lymphoma. For an update on Congressional funding for NIH
click here.
National Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) requires substantial resources to continue the progress being made in the fight against lymphoma and other types of cancer. LRF supports increasing the NCI budget as means to expand our nation's investment in lymphoma research.
Learn more here.
The Department of Defense
This year LRF and the blood cancer community have proposed that Congress expand the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP), located in the Department of Defense, to include a $25 million dedicated blood cancer effort.
Learn more here.
Advocate Update: On April 1, 33 members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a
letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense in support of LRF’s effort to create a new blood cancer research program. LRF would like to thank LRF advocates who appealed to their Representative to sign the letter.
Access to Quality Lymphoma Care
Medicare Program Open Enrollment: An update for lymphoma patients
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency which oversees the Medicare Program, is encouraging Medicare beneficiaries to take advantage of the annual Open Enrollment period to make sure they have the best coverage available to meet their healthcare needs in 2010.
Learn more.
Comprehensive Cancer Care
In a series of reports on the nation's cancer care system, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended that cancer patients receive a plan of care that details the elements of active therapy and symptom management, and cancer survivors receive a summary of their treatment that will help them move from primary treatment to survivorship and follow-up care. On April 1, 2009, Reps. Lois Capps (D-CA) and Charles Boustany (R-LA) introduced the
Comprehensive Cancer Care Improvement Act, legislation which would ensure cancer patients and survivors receive such coordinated cancer care.
Clinical Trials
Cancer patients who participate in clinical trials can play a more active role in their own health care, gain access to new treatments before they are widely available and help others by contributing to medical research. Unfortunately, many patients are unable to receive these innovative therapies because their health insurance company is unwilling or unable to cover the items and services provided in the clinical trial (like physician services and hospital stays) that are otherwise generally available to a qualified individual.
Learn more about federal legislation that will address this critical issue.
Continue to visit the this page for continuing updates on these and other policy issues important to the lymphoma community.
