Hundreds of Cancer Advocates Urge Lawmakers to Pass Health Care Now, Not Later
More than 400 cancer patients, survivors, caregivers and their families from all 50 states and nearly every Congressional district united on Tuesday to lobby their members of Congress in support of comprehensive health care reform. ACS CAN hosted its annual leadership summit and lobby day this week in Washington, D.C. to urge lawmakers to focus on patients, not politics, by supporting reform that escalates the emphasis on disease prevention and ensures that all Americans have access to health care.
Before meeting with their legislators, cancer advocates attended advanced training sessions on communicating with elected officials, speaking with the media and engaging in grassroots activities in their communities. On the Hill, they advocated for provisions that will work for people with cancer and have already been proposed in health care reform bills, including:
* Guaranteeing coverage for all Americans regardless of health status or pre-existing conditions
* Prohibiting insurance companies from charging people more for insurance because of their health status;
* Eliminating annual and lifetime dollar limits on benefits and placing limits on patient out-of-pocket costs;
* Increasing the emphasis on prevention, with little or no patient costs for cancer screenings; and
* Fostering patient-centered care to improve quality of life for people with cancer.
Coaches, Lawmakers and Administration Officials Join Cancer Advocates at Capitol Hill Rally for Health Care Reform
Five NCAA Division I college basketball coaches teamed up with ACS CAN cancer advocates, U.S. Senators Al Franken (D-MN) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at a Capitol Hill rally this week with one urgent message: action is needed on health care reform now, not later.
Coaches Tubby Smith, of the University of Minnesota; Ed DeChellis of Penn State University; Oliver Purnell of Clemson University; Mike Brey of the University of Notre Dame; and John Thomson III of Georgetown University each appeared at the rally to tell Congress that it must pass health reform legislation this year that guarantees all Americans access to quality health care that is both adequate and affordable, which will help create a world with less cancer and more birthdays.
The coaches, who are members of Coaches vs. Cancer, a nation wide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches, are putting aside their on-court rivalries to urge passage of health care reform. The rally was covered by the Washington Examiner, the Associated Press (via the New York Times), Talk Radio News Service, and numerous local television and newspaper outlets.
Rep. Waxman, Florida State Sen. Deutch and North Carolina State Rep. Holliman Honored For Leadership in the Fight Against Cancer
Advocates were also on hand for the presentation of ACS CAN's National Distinguished Advocacy Award to Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA), North Carolina State Representative Hugh Holliman (D) and Florida State Senator Ted Deutch (D). The National Distinguished Advocacy Award is ACS CAN's most prestigious advocacy award and is awarded for leadership in the fight against cancer. A reception honoring the recipients of these awards was held Tuesday evening in Washington, D.C. and was attended by ACS CAN volunteers and supporters.
Also recognized at the event were ACS CAN Corporate Champions, EMD Serono (represented at the event by Allene Diaz, Vice President of US Oncology Marketing) and GlaxoSmithKline (represented by Dave Moules, Vice President of Oncology) and the Judicial Advocacy Initiative Award Winner, McKenna Long & Aldrich (represented by Will O'Brien). Many thanks to our 2009 Corporate Members and National Distinguished Advocacy Award Reception sponsors for their support of ACS CAN.
Special Washington D.C. Exhibit Features Testimonials and Portraits of Real People Touched by Cancer
This week, a special exhibit in the Rayburn House Office Building Foyer in Washington, D.C. featured the personal stories of people with cancer who have struggled with the costs of cancer. The display, which included both testimonials and portraits of real people who want action now, not later, on health care reform, was a part of ACS CAN's annual Leadership Summit and Lobby Day.