This week, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., the chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committees’ Health Subcommittee, brought out the “Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention Act.”
The bill will “help ensure timely access to advanced screenings for lung cancer,” and Buchanan’s office offered the reasons why he introduced it.
“Lung cancer is the second most common type of cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S., accounting for nearly one out of every five cancer deaths. Tragically, more than 80 percent of people with lung cancer die within five years of diagnosis, and more than half within the first year,” Buchanan’s office noted. “As with many forms of cancer, lung cancer can be highly treatable if detected at an early stage and before it has spread. In fact, according to the University of Florida Health, ‘catching the disease in its earliest stages can have a striking effect.’ For example, early detection through screening can increase the 5-year survival rate for stage I lung cancer to nearly 90 percent. Unfortunately, only about five percent of those recommended for screening get tested for lung cancer.
“Under current law, lung cancer screening tests must be approved by both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an unelected board of 16 volunteers which adds layers of unnecessary bureaucratic red tape before the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) may even consider them for coverage. Unfortunately, the current USPSTF review process is also highly cumbersome and can take up to five years, preventing new and potentially life-saving screenings from expeditiously coming to the market,” Buchanan’s office added.
Buchanan weighed in on the bill on Tuesday.
“The federal government should make it easier for seniors to access crucial life-saving lung cancer screenings and not unreasonably hinder these tests from becoming available for use,” said Buchanan. “Unfortunately, bureaucratic red tape has too often stifled innovation, unreasonably delaying access to advanced testing.”
The Moffit Cancer Center, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), Prevent Cancer Foundation, LUNGevity Foundation, Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and DELFI Diagnostics are among the backers.
“To help expedite the approval process, Buchanan’s Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention Act gives CMS the flexibility to cover new tests already approved by the FDA without having to wait for the board to evaluate the tests,” Buchanan’s office noted. “Currently, only five percent of those who are recommended for testing, (those between the ages of 50-80, have 20 pack-per-year smoking history, and are a current smoker, or have quit within the last 15 years) actually get screened for lung cancer. By allowing CMS to cover lung cancer screenings without first requiring a lengthy USPSTF review, the Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention Act would help several new tests currently being developed become available and contribute to earlier detection of lung cancer.”
U.S. Reps. Larry Bucshon, R-Ind., Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., and Michelle Steel, R-Calif., are co-sponsoring the bill.
The bill was sent to the U.S. House Ways and Means and the Energy and Commerce Committees.
