Linda Wenger
lwenger@LUNGevity.org
(973) 449-3214
Washington, DC, July 17, 2017 – LUNGevity Foundation joined 32 cancer-related patient advocacy and professional organizations in opposition to the Senate’s revised Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA).
“The passage of the Senate’s BCRA bill could have significant and negative implications for lung cancer patients, survivors, and their families,” said LUNGevity President and Chairman Andrea Stern Ferris. The bill would create higher costs and reduce access to health care coverage for the sick and low-income. An estimated 22 million people would lose coverage, including 15 million who depend on Medicaid; the bill would also erode protections for people with pre-existing conditions and make comprehensive insurance unaffordable for millions.
Organizations joining the effort:
American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)
Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC)
Blue Faery: The Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Association
CancerCare
Cancer Support Community
Children’s Cause for Cancer Advocacy
Colon Cancer Alliance
Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation
Critical Mass
Deadliest Cancers Coalition
Fight Colorectal Cancer
FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered
Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation
LIVESTRONG
Living Beyond Breast Cancer
Lung Cancer Alliance
LUNGevity Foundation
Lymphoma Research Foundation
Melanoma Research Alliance
National Brain Tumor Society
National Breast Cancer Coalition
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
National Comprehensive Cancer Network
National Patient Advocate Foundation
Oncology Nursing Society
Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance
Sarcoma Foundation of America
Stupid Cancer
Susan G. Komen
Triage Cancer
Us TOO International
Young Survival Coalition
About LUNGevity Foundation
LUNGevity is the nation's leading lung cancer organization investing in lifesaving, translational research and providing support services and education for patients and caregivers. LUNGevity’s goals are three-fold: (1) accelerate research to patients, (2) empower patients to be active participants in their treatment decisions, and (3) remove barriers that patients face in accessing the right treatments.
LUNGevity Foundation is firmly committed to making an immediate impact on increasing quality of life and survivorship of people with lung cancer by accelerating research into early detection and more effective treatments, as well as by providing community, support, and education for all those affected by the disease. LUNGevity’s comprehensive resources include a medically vetted website, a toll-free HELPLine in partnership with CancerCare®, a unique Lung Cancer Navigator app, peer-to-peer mentoring for patients and caregivers (LUNGevity LifeLine), and survivorship conferences. LUNGevity also helps patients find and navigate clinical trials through our Clinical Trial Finder tool, a Clinical Trial Ambassador program, and participation with EmergingMed.
For more information about LUNGevity Foundation, please visit www.LUNGevity.org.
About Lung Cancer
- 1 in 16 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime
- More than 222,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year
- About 60%-65% of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people who have never smoked or are former smokers
- Lung cancer takes more lives than the next three leading cancers (colorectal, breast, and prostate) combined
- Only 18% of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more, BUT if it’s caught before it spreads, the chance for 5-year survival improves dramatically