Adopt bill in Congress for Medicare’s early cancer detection

Published 1:30 am Sunday, August 31, 2025

This July, I met with U.S. Rep Rick Larsen to discuss the importance of passing House Resoution 842: The Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) Screening Coverage Act. This bipartisan effort would allow Medicare to meaningfully cover these new tests as they become FDA-approved, ensuring our most vulnerable communities have timely access. The legislation already has over 300 cosponsors in both the House and Senate, including Rep. Larsen.

Washington’s federal leaders are taking a crucial step forward in modernizing access to care for at-risk populations across our state. Today, almost half of all cancers diagnosed each year are cancers with no recommended screening tests. As a veteran myself and the President of Vet’s Place NW, this issue is close to many of the people I serve each day. Cancers like pancreatic and stomach cancers disproportionately impact communities of color and are usually detected too late, since we don’t have accessible early detection tools.

The MCED Screening Coverage Act provides an option for reliable, early testing that addresses an existing equity gap in Medicare services. I’m grateful to live in a state where our leadership prioritizes access to technological advances that lead to better health outcomes. Let’s pass HR 842 / S 339 and give time back to cancer patients.

Raymond Miller

Marysville