Letter Highlights Increased Racial Health Disparities and Barriers in Cancer Care

Congressional Letter Highlights Increased Racial Health Disparities and Barriers to Cancer Care in Proposed CMS Policy
 


WASHINGTON--Citing concerns about barriers to cancer treatment and furthering racial
disparities in the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer, eight African
American Members of Congress wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary
Sebelius about a proposed government policy to cut payments for radiation
therapy. Led by Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and seven other Congressional
Black Caucus Members, the letter raises concerns with a Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed payment change for 2010 which, if finalized,
will result in a 44 percent reduction in reimbursement for radiation therapy
used to treat prostrate, breast, brain and other cancers. 

The Meeks letter notes that the CMS proposed payment change is astounding given
the impact on African American men "for whom a significant disparity continues
to exist in the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer as compared to
American men generally." Congressman Meeks has long promoted additional funding
for research, educational awareness, and early detection for prostate cancer in
African American men. In April 2007, Mr. Meeks introduced H Res 346 to provide
federal support to end the epidemic of prostate cancer in African American men. 

The Congressional letter says Members find it "particularly troubling" that the
CMS proposed physician fee schedule "applies assumptions about the utilization
of high-end diagnostic imaging equipment to the completely different area of
therapeutic services like radiation therapy." MedPAC in a letter to CMS has
stated that its data regarding utilization of diagnostic equipment should not be
applied to radiation therapy machines. 

CMS is currently considering comments to its proposed changes in the physician
fee schedule for 2010. The CMS rule is expected to be finalized in early
November. A copy of the Congressional letter can be found at
http://access-to-care.com/pdf/CBCLetterToHHS.pdf

Access to Integrated Cancer Care (AICC) is an alliance of multi-specialty
physician group practices organized for the purpose of promoting and protecting
the fundamental rights of patients with cancer to access an integrated and
comprehensive program of diagnosis, treatment, comfort and support of the
highest quality.

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