Policy Comments
The priority legislative and regulatory issues that the Cancer Policy Institute focuses on are driven by policy pillars that are centered around the values, needs, and preferences of individuals impacted by cancer. We work in conjunction with patients, patient advocacy organizations, medical associations, and other stakeholders to advance policies aimed at improving access to, affordability of, and quality of care across the cancer continuum.
Group letter commenting on the patient illness navigation (PIN) and community health integration (CHI) provisions of the CMS Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), recommending reimbursement of such services under Medicare.
Group letter on CY 2024 payment policies under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed rule, expressing concerns about the adverse impact of the proposed rule on payment for radiation oncology services and the potential adverse impact on patient access to care.
Group letter urging HHS to remove barriers to access critical COVID-19 antiviral treatments, especially for historically underserved populations, including payments to pharmacies for patient counseling and assessments before dispensing the medications.
Group letter in support of the Women and Lung Cancer Research and Prevention Act of 2023 (H.R. 4534).
Group letter expressing support for including an increase in funding for AHRQ and its staffing and administrative support for the USPFTF as part of the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bill. This increase in funding will improve the USPSTF’s processes, augment staffing, and expedite patient access to critical clinical preventive services.
Group letter commenting on the Request for Information (RFI) focused on the design of a future episode-based payment model. Recommendations include: the Innovation Center take additional steps to ensure sufficient input from stakeholders is taken into consideration for model design, incorporating feedback into every step of the model lifecycle and comprehensive educational efforts that are critical to improving person-centeredness within models.
Group letter encouraging all states to engage in as many strategies, identified by CMS, as possible to help minimize procedural coverage terminations to ensure that patients have ample opportunity to respond redetermination requests, and to minimize disruptions in their health coverage.
Group letter expressing disappointment with the 2023 preventative colorectal cancer (CRC) screening guidance from the ACP, which begins at 50 years old and inhibit patient choice be reducing screening options. The coalition recommends for CRC screening starting at age 45 as well as updating guidance to be inclusive of all screening options.
Group letter to White House urging immediate action to pause Medicaid redeterminations in states where individuals are losing access to coverage for procedural reasons, protecting Medicaid patients' access to care.
Group letter in support of the Accelerating Kids' Access to Care Act, legislation to help reduce the time it currently takes children covered by Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to access specialized care when providers in their home state cannot address their care needs.