Patients' Bil of Rights

American Cancer Society
Tuesday, 19 June 2001

The American Cancer Society, the nation's leading voluntary health organization, today urged U.S. Senators to support passage of the McCain-Kennedy-Edwards Bipartisan Patient Protection Act of 2001 (S.283), also known as the Patients' Bill of Rights. The legislation provides all insured patients with a basic guarantee of quality care.

Cancer patients in particular would benefit from provisions that would enable more patients to enroll in clinical trials. "Cancer patients need to spend their time fighting the disease, not the insurance bureaucracy," said John C. Baity, Chairman of the Board of the American Cancer Society. "Passage of a strong, comprehensive Patients' Bill of Rights will revolutionize the lives of cancer patients who have been denied access to potentially life saving clinical trials because their health plan refuses to cover routine care costs. Each Senator should realize their support can make a difference for cancer patients."

Currently, only three percent of cancer patients enroll in clinical trials, in part because of health insurers' refusal to cover routine care costs, such as blood work and physician visits, for patients choosing to enroll in clinical trials. Ironically, health plans will cover those same costs for patients receiving standard therapies-therapies that are sometimes ineffective. Clinical trials offer the only treatment option for patients with rare forms of cancer for which no FDA-approved treatments exist on the market.

In addition to the clinical trials measures, cancer patients will also benefit from provisions that ensure greater access to medical specialists. Continuity of care guarantees included in the bill will prevent patients from being forced to switch physicians mid-treatment as a result of health plan changes. The Society also supports strong, timely and independent grievance and appeals procedures proposed in the Act, but does not take a position on the liability provisions in the bill.

In the coming days, the Society plans to mobilize its network of cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and volunteers to urge Senators to vote "yes" on S. 283, the Bipartisan Patient Protection Act of 2001. Millions of Americans are affected by cancer, the second leading cause of death in the United States and Americans' number one health concern. An estimated 1.2 million Americans will be newly diagnosed with cancer this year. Another 550,000 Americans will die from the disease. The American Cancer Society is the nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy and service.

For more information, or to contact American Cancer Society, see their website at: www.cancer.org