Community Leaders Fight Medicare Legislation to Reduce Funding of Cancer Treatment |
|
|
|
Written by U.S. Insurance News
|
|
Monday, 03 November 2003 |
Community leaders from across the nation are currently fighting a Medicare prescription drug benefit bill that is being considered by the Senate and House of Representatives.
WASHINGTON – Community leaders from across the nation are currently fighting a Medicare prescription drug benefit bill that is being considered by the Senate and House of Representatives.
If passed, the bill would cut up to $16 billion dollars over the next ten years from the community-based cancer care delivery system. Eighty percent of cancers are treated within this system.
Representatives of 271 organizations from 13 states have sent open letters to President Bush, House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist urging them to oppose and remove this Medicare legislation.
Many argue that minorities cannot afford the cuts proposed by the Medicare legislation. Anita de Palma, Florida state director of LULAC, explained that Hispanics cannot afford such cuts in vital health care services.
"This bill is a Medicut for cancer care, especially for underserved patients. Congress should work to ensure more minorities, not fewer, have access to cancer treatments," she said.
Senior citizens may be especially vulnerable if the bill passes.
"If satellite cancer care offices are closed, patients will be forced to drive long distances to receive care," Dwight Ray Baldwin, Master, Iowa State Grange, said. "This ensures that seniors, many of whom aren't physically able to travel, will stop receiving care altogether, while others will go without consistent treatment from the same doctors and nurses. Experts say satellite cancer care services will be among the first impacted by this bill. On behalf of the 63,000 Grange members nationally, I urge the President and Congress not to put rural Medicare cancer patients at such risk."
"I agree with the 78 percent of Americans in a recent poll that said Congress should oppose any cuts in cancer care," Patrick Flores, Archbishop of San Antonio, Archdiocese of San Antonio, said. "I'm proud to add the thousands of voices from churches across San Antonio to those in the patient community and on Capitol Hill urging Congress to preserve patient access. As a community, we are not looking forward to coping with the fallout if Congress severely cuts cancer care."
The Medicare conference committee is currently resolving differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill, and is expected to complete the bill within the next two weeks. The bill will then go back to the Senate and the House for final passage. If passed, it will then go on to President Bush for his signature
|
