As you know, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is planning severe Medicare payment cuts for cancer care effective January 1, 2010.  These cuts are to services associated with drug administration, consultation services, diagnostic imaging, and radiation treatment.  If the awareness level of the negative impact of these cuts is not raised among members of Congress and the Administration, they will go through as planned.

Congressman Steve Israel (D-NY) is leading an effort along with Representatives Artur Davis (D-AL), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Bart Gordon (D-TN), John Tanner (D-TN), Danny Davis (D-IL), and Steve Cohen (D-TN) to ask HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to forestall making the Medicare payment cuts for cancer care. These Representatives have circulated a “dear colleague” letter requesting that their House colleagues join them in signing a letter to Secretary Sebelius.  This “dear colleague” letter was just sent out to all House members electronically and a copy of the combined “dear colleague” and Sebelius letter can be accessed by clicking here.

It is critical that you reach out to your Representatives to ask them to please sign onto the Medicare cuts “dear colleague” letter.  The deadline for signing onto the letter is Friday, October 10th at 12:00 PM EDT.  To sign onto the letter, House offices can contact Josh Teitelbaum (Josh.Teitelbaum@mail.house.gov or 202-225-3335) in Congressman Steve Israel’s office. Call their offices and email. Contacts for all House health care legislation assistant staff can be found on the COA website at www.communityoncology.org under Immediate Action Needed.

Please reach out to your Representatives TODAY to ask them to please help stop the Medicare cancer care payment cuts.

Want to stop the Medicare payment cuts?  Please engage with your Representatives ASAP.  The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) and others are working on a similar letter to come from the Senate.