By Gary Renville / For The Herald
For cancer patients and their families, time is among the most precious resources.
As both a health care professional and a caregiver to my mother during her battle with pancreatic cancer, I’ve witnessed firsthand how crucial early detection is in the fight against this devastating disease. Now, Washington’s congressional leaders have a historic opportunity to transform cancer screening and detection for millions.
The Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act represents a pivotal advancement in our nation’s approach to cancer care. This legislation would ensure Medicare beneficiaries have access to revolutionary multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests; a breakthrough technology that can detect dozens of different cancers through a simple blood draw, often before symptoms appear.
According to the American Cancer Society, over 13,000 Washington residents will die from cancer this year alone. Moreover, the National Cancer Institute has found that persistent poverty is linked to an increased risk of dying from cancer. For patients like my mother, who navigated her cancer diagnosis and treatment process while experiencing financial hardship, catching her cancer earlier would have saved countless hours, reduced expenses and potentially improved outcomes.
Through my work at Project Access Northwest, I’ve seen that my mother’s experiences were far from unique. Many families, particularly those lacking insurance or dealing with financial hardship, face the same daunting obstacles to timely and affordable cancer treatment. Despite committed and caring medical teams, the process of scheduling specialist appointments, navigating insurance coverage and handling the high cost of care can be overwhelming and disheartening.
It doesn’t have to be this way. When detected early, the 5-year survival rate for many cancers exceeds 90 percent. And while traditional cancer screening methods such as mammograms and colonoscopies remain our best tools for detecting cancer early, they only exist for five types of cancer. This leaves numerous other cancers, including deadly ones like pancreatic cancer, without recommended early screenings. MCED tests would fundamentally change this landscape, empowering doctors to detect dozens of cancers simultaneously, when treatment is most effective and less invasive.
Under current Medicare policies, however, these groundbreaking tests remain out of reach for seniors who need them most. Medicare’s outdated coverage framework lacks a clear pathway to cover new screening technologies like MCED tests after they’re approved by the FDA. That’s why legislation is needed.
Fortunately, there is broad consensus among our elected leaders in Congress that the law must change, which is why the bill has garnered unprecedented bipartisan support. Washington’s own Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, along with Reps. Adam Smith, Marilyn Strickland, Rick Larsen and Suzan DelBene, have supported the bill. Now, as lawmakers work toward a budget agreement for the remaining fiscal year, they have an opportunity to ensure this broadly supported legislation becomes law.
To our federal leaders across Washington state: The time to act is now. By passing this legislation, you can help save countless lives and reduce the devastating burden of cancer in our communities. For families like mine, time truly is everything. And this legislation is our chance to grant countless others the precious time they deserve.
Gary Renville is the president and CEO of Project Access Northwest, working to serve those uninsured and under-insured by providing specialty medical, dental and mental health services, alongside essential support for housing, food and other critical social driver of health needs in the Pacific Northwest. He is also a board chair for Pacific Medical Centers and Communities Joined in Action.
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