Letter to Medicare Patients

Posted by Dr. Mark Olsen, CCA President on September 17th, 2009

July 13, 2009

Dear Cancer Care Associates Patient,

We need to deliver one simple message to our lawmakers in Congress as they work on healthcare reform — Fix Cancer Care; Don't Break It Further. Here is why that message needs to be delivered.

Our lawmakers in Congress are working on major changes to our country's healthcare system. We believe that changes are needed to make quality, affordable healthcare available to all Americans. However, we need to make you aware of some changes being discussed that would hurt or even stop our ability to provide cancer care.

First, you should understand that the United States has the best cancer care in the world. That's not just our opinion, but is proven by actual survival rates. Ask yourself the question — where else in the world would you want to be treated for cancer?

Six years ago the government changed the way that Medicare paid for cancer care. This has resulted in both the services and cancer drugs we provide to be underpaid, and in some cases not paid for at all. For example, the treatment plan developed for every cancer patient is not paid for by Medicare. Even if you are younger and not covered by Medicare, you need to understand that Medicare covers about half of all cancer care. So, it is the single largest payer of cancer care but also pays for cancer care at rates far below private insurance.

Some in the government want to create what is being called a "public" insurance option. If a public plan is created based on Medicare, many practices would have to dramatically cut staff and eventually close offices.

Medicare payments are simply unrealistic and threaten to be cut even more in the healthcare reform legislation being developed in Washington, DC. President Obama has said repeatedly that we need to build on what is working with our healthcare system and fix what is broken. That means we need to continue to improve our ability to fight cancer and fix a broken Medicare payment system. In the process, cancer care needs to be more affordable and available to all.

Cancer Care Associates is working in cooperation with other cancer doctors across the country in the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) to not just complain, but to provide solutions to the Congress and the President. We support a bill in the House of Representatives — the Medicare Quality Cancer Care Demonstration Act of 2009, which is known by the bill number H.R. 2872. This bill would create a national project aimed at improving the quality of cancer care while controlling costs. We also support H.R. 1392 and an identical bill in the Senate, S. 1221, which would make payments for cancer drugs more realistic by correcting a technical flaw with their calculations.If that’s not enough, the Center for Medicare Services (CMS) announced last week that payments will be slashed another 21% in 2010. We simply cannot absorb any more cuts to Medicare payments and have Medicare payments for cancer drugs below what we pay to purchase them. That is why we ask you to join with us in reaching out to our Representatives and Senators in the Congress with a simple message — Fix Cancer Care,. Don't Break It Further. We want them to sign on to H.R. 2872 and H.R. 1392 and S. 1221 and support these bills being included in healthcare reform.

We all need to come together as a cancer community to deliver the message to Fix Cancer Care; Don't Break It Further. If you have any questions, please speak with your CCA physician or contact Shawn Morrison, CCA’s State Manager of Payer Relations for more information at 405.820.9612.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Mark R. Olsen, M.D. Paul W. Bukofzer, M.P.H.

President Chief Executive Officer

Cancer Care Associates Cancer Care Associates

 

 

Senator Tom Coburn (R)

Washington DC Oklahoma City Tulsa

172 Russell Senate Office Bldg. 100 North Broadway #1820 1800 S. Baltimore #800

Washington, DC 20510 Oklahoma City, OK 73102 Tulsa, OK 74119

Phone 202-224-5754 Phone 405-231-4941 Phone 918-581-7651

Fax 202-224-6008 Fax 405-231-5051 Fax 918-581-7195

 

Senator James Inhofe (R)

Washington DC Oklahoma City Tulsa

453 Russell Senate Office Bldg. 1900 NW Expressway #1210 1924 S. Utica Ave.

Washington, DC 20510 Oklahoma City, OK 73118 Tulsa, OK 74104

Phone 202-224-4721 Phone 405-608-4381 Phone 918-748-5111

Fax 202-228-0380 Fax 405-608-4120 Fax 918-748-5119

Congressman John Sullivan (R)

Washington DC Bartlesville Tulsa

114 Cannon House Office Bldg. 401 S. Johnson Ave #348 5727 S. Lewis Ave. #520

Washington, DC 20510 Bartlesville, OK 74006 Tulsa, OK 74105

Phone 202-225-2211 Phone 918-336-6500 Phone 918-749-0014

Fax 202-225-9187 Fax 918-749-0781 Fax 918-749-0781

Congressman Dan Boren (D)

Washington, DC McAlester Claremore

216 Cannon House Office Bldg. 321 S. Third #4 309 W. 1st Street

Washington, DC 20515 McAlester, OK 74501 Claremore, OK 74017

Phone 202-225-2701 Phone 918-423-5951 Phone 918-341-9336

Fax 202-225-3038 Fax 918-423-1940 Fax 918-342-4806

Congressman Frank Lucas (R)

Washington, DC Stillwater Canadian County

2311 Rayburn House Office Bldg. 720 S. Husband #7 10952 NW Expressway #B

Washington, DC 20515 Stillwater, OK 74075 Oklahoma City, OK 73099

Phone 202-225-5565 Phone 405-624-6407 Phone 405-373-1958

Fax 202-225-8698 Fax 405-624-6467 Fax 405-2046

Congressman Tom Cole (R)

Washington, DC Norman Lawton

236 Cannon House Office Bldg. 2420 Springer Dr. #120 711 SW D Avenue #201

Washington, DC 20515 Norman, OK 73069 Lawton, OK 73501

Phone 202-225-6165 Phone 405-329-6500 Phone 580-357-2131

Fax 202-225-3512 Fax 405-321-7369 Fax 580-357-7477

Congresswoman Mary Fallin (R)

Washington, DC Oklahoma City Shawnee

1432 Longworth HOB 120 N. Robinson #100 20 East Ninth Street #137

Washington, DC 20515 Oklahoma City, OK 73102 Shawnee, OK 74801

Phone 202-225-2132 Phone 405-234-9900 Phone 405-273-1733

Fax 202-226-1463 Fax 405-234-9909 Fax 405-234-9909

 

 

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