Congresswoman Renee Ellmers Discusses the Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2013

Congresswoman Renee Ellmers (R-NC-02), U.S. House of Representatives, discusses the importance of the Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2013 (H.R. 1416).

Ellmers says this is a sensible bill that takes care of Medicare patients with cancer in relation to the sequester that negatively affected physician-administered drugs under part B of the Medicare program. Currently, oncologists and other physicians that purchase expensive drugs to care for their patients find themselves in a difficult situation. Ellmers says cancer patients on Medicare are most vulnerable.

Ellmers says she has been working hard on this bill for over a year and is determined​ to change the current situation and ensure that care can be provided in community cancer centers. If patients with cancer are unable to continue to receive care at a center they feel comfortable with, they may have to travel great distances to another cancer center. This could both interrupt care and make it more expensive for an individual patient.