Unanimous advancement of Rep. Sewell's cancer screening legislation in the House committee
The House of Representatives, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is moving closer to passing a bill that could revolutionize cancer screenings for seniors, following a unanimous vote in the House Ways and Means Committee. The bill, HR842, has been renamed the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) Screening Coverage Act in honor of Representative Terri Sewell's late mother.
Sponsored by Representative Jodey Arrington, the bill aims to create a pathway for Medicare to cover emerging diagnostic tools, once FDA-approved, which can screen for up to 40 cancers with a simple blood test. This groundbreaking legislation has garnered wide support, with over 600 patient advocate organizations and more than 500 organizations, including Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, backing the bill.
The bill has been referred to the full House for a vote, and it will be under consideration by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday, September 18. The Committee shares jurisdiction over our nation's health care system with the Committee on Ways and Means.
Representative Terri Sewell, who introduced the bill alongside Representative Arrington, expressed her delight at the bill's progress. She stated that the passage of HR842 is a step closer to enacting the Nancy Gardner Sewell Multi-Cancer Early Detection Act and giving seniors the best chance at catching cancer early.
The bill enjoys overwhelming bipartisan support, with 305 House co-sponsors and 62 Senate co-sponsors. This strong, bipartisan momentum is a testament to the bill's potential to save countless lives, according to Representative Sewell.
The bill was named after Representative Sewell's mother, Nancy Gardner Sewell, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in June 2021. The bill's passage on September 16, which was also Nancy Gardner Sewell's 86th birthday, holds a special significance for Representative Sewell and her family.
The House Budget Chairman and lead Republican sponsor, Representative Jodey Arrington, emphasized that this legislation will give seniors access to groundbreaking innovation that will transform the way we treat, diagnose, and prevent cancer.
This news comes as more than 700 cancer advocates from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to raise awareness of the urgent need for policies that improve cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, and patient support. Enacting H.R. 842 is among ACS CAN's top legislative priorities.
The platform, a daily political news site devoted to Alabama politics, provides accurate and reliable coverage of policy, elections, and government, highlighting the importance of this bill in the fight against cancer.
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