There were five pieces of legislation that had gained a lot of support across both the House and the Senate over the past two years thanks to the collective efforts of the childhood cancer community and our legislative champions: ACCELERATING ACCESS TO CARE ACT: Streamlines out-of-state treatment for children on Medicaid. GABRIELLA MILLER KIDS FIRST RESEARCH ACT 2.0: Extends research funding authorization for another seven years. GIVE KIDS A CHANCE ACT: Supports pediatric studies on new cancer drug combinations. INNOVATIONS IN PEDIATRIC DRUGS ACT: Imposes financial penalties on drug companies that fail to complete required pediatric studies. PRIORITY REVIEW […]
Read moreDuring our October federal advocacy drop-in session, we learned about several pieces of legislation that had a good chance to pass before the end of the year and also alerted everyone that “advocates may be called on to make a final push between now and the end of the year.” That time has come! During this week of action, we need your help: Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act—230 organizations (about a third from CAC2) have signed a letter urging lawmakers to pass the bill in the end-of-year legislative package (here’s a link to that letter). Beginning today, December 9th […]
Read moreBy CAC2 Individual Member Jennifer Flowers Rhabdomyosarcoma became a common word in my family when I was three years old. By the time of diagnosis, the cancer had metastasized from the middle ear into the mastoid and eustachian tube. The University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital oncology team told my parents there was less than a three percent chance for me to live out the year. There was no definitive treatment protocol to defeat this rare form of cancer, and the survival rate was extremely low. Over the next two and a half years, I underwent surgeries, full head […]
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