January 2021
Dear Advocates and Friends,
Happy New Year! I am excited to introduce myself as the new Executive Director of the Cancer Policy Institute. While 2020 challenged and stretched all of us, 2021 brings about new beginnings and possibilities. We must build on the progress made in 2020 to protect those living with cancer. It is incumbent upon all of us to keep the drumbeat going by advocating for resources and services that will address the
physical, mental, and emotional needs of cancer patients, survivors, and their loved ones. This year, we will continue our activism to remove barriers to care, expand access to affordable health care, and decrease health disparities. Thank you for your dedication to advocacy. I look forward to a productive year ahead.
Phylicia L. Woods, JD, MSW
Executive Director, Cancer Policy Institute
Late last month Congress approved an end-of-year funding package. We were thrilled to see that Congress prioritized cancer patients by including the following pieces of legislation which are now enacted into law :
- CLINICAL TREATMENT Act: Guarantees coverage of the routine care costs (e.g. physician visits or laboratory tests) of clinical trial participation for Medicaid enrollees with life-threatening conditions, like cancer.
- No Surprises Act: Protects patients from surprise medical bills from emergency and non-emergency services, including cancer care.
- Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act: Waives cost-sharing requirements under Medicare for colorectal cancer screenings, making these critical screenings more affordable.
The bill also had emergency coronavirus relief provisions, including direct payments (economic impact payments), expanded unemployment insurance, and food and rental assistance, among other relief provisions. Click on the button below to learn more.
The Henrietta Lacks Enhancing Cancer Research Act was signed into law on January 5, 2021. This vital bill seeks to reduce barriers and increase access to participation in government-funded cancer clinical trials among communities that are traditionally underrepresented in trials. The bill is named after Mrs. Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman who died of cervical cancer in 1951 at the age of 31.
During her cancer treatment, doctors took samples of her tumor and discovered that Mrs. Lacks’ cells were unlike any of the others they had seen. While other cells would die, Mrs. Lacks’ cells doubled every 20 to 24 hours, and from this the “immortal” HeLa cell line was created. Without her or her family’s knowledge, these HeLa cells were used in modern medical research to develop the polio vaccine and treatments for a variety of diseases, including HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, and cancer.
Photo of Henrietta Lacks: The Associated Press (AP)
This episode in our special radio show series Spotlight on Coronavirus takes a close look at the vaccines that will help combat the COVID-19 pandemic—how they work, the approval process with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and what it all means for people impacted by cancer. Guest speakers are Dr. Kathleen Dooling of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Dr. Elizabeth Robilotti of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; and Dr. Michael Ybarra, a board-certified emergency physician and vice president at PhRMA.
Share your experiences navigating the health care system as a cancer patient or survivor. Your feedback will help to impact policies that affect people living with cancer! Join our Access to Care Study today.
Each month, the CPI profiles advocates who have been engaged in cancer advocacy. Click on the button below to learn about Liz and the issues that she is most passionate about, including bladder cancer and ostomy awareness and education.
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Cancer Support Community
“So that No One Faces Cancer Alone”
734 15th Street NW | Suite 300
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