ASCO Members Advocate for Key Cancer Care Priorities at Home and on Capitol Hill

Oct 25, 2016

This summer, ASCO members continued their efforts to advocate for key issues that are critical to cancer care. ASCO members are uniquely qualified to communicate with Congress about effective policies for the treatment of patients with cancer and the research that drives scientific breakthroughs.

Congressional recess

During the August 2016 Congressional recess (also called the district work period), nearly two dozen ASCO members from across the country participated in advocacy meetings with their members of Congress. These meetings provide a unique opportunity for ASCO members to meet directly with their Congressional representatives and their staffs to build stronger relationships and to help lawmakers better understand the realities and challenges of cancer care.

In these meetings, ASCO members expressed opposition to the Medicare Part B demo and advocated for key policy priorities, including oral parity, federal funding for cancer research, and the interoperability of electronic health records.

While in-district meetings generally took place at the lawmakers’ district offices, some lawmakers joined ASCO members for site visits or facility tours at their practices, including Representative Joe Barton (R-Texas), who toured pathology labs and operating suites at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Site visits like these are one of the most powerful venues in which to have a meeting with a legislator, as visiting facilities and practices in person gives members of Congress a unique view into the important issues that affect patients with cancer and their clinicians.

Advocacy Summit on Capitol Hill

On September 21-22, ASCO members gathered on Capitol Hill to participate in ASCO’s first Advocacy Summit. Led by ASCO’s Government Relations Committee, the Advocacy Summit brought almost 70 ASCO members to Washington, DC, for education on the ins and outs of advocacy and to meet directly with members of Congress and their staff to discuss policy priorities that are critical to providing high-quality cancer care.

ASCO members met with more than 100 Congressional offices to discuss important policy priorities, including the Medicare Part B demo, electronic health record interoperability, and funding for the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute, among other issues.

The Society thanks its members who participated in the Advocacy Summit and in-district meetings with their representatives. Learn more about how you can get involved in ASCO’s advocacy work.


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