Kennedy Introduces Cancer Legislation
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2002–Three-time Tour De France champion and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong joined Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) yesterday to introduce a bill that would increase federal spending on cancer care.
The legislation is an effort to streamline communication between federal, state and local care providers so they can monitor the quality and uniformity of patient treatment more closely.
“Too often, we cannot say that American cancer patients are receiving the best possible care,” Kennedy, whose son, Edward Jr., is a cancer survivor, said at a Capitol Hill press conference. “Our goal is to match the nation’s excellence in cancer research with state-of-the-art excellence in cancer care.”
To that end, The Quality Of Care For Individuals With Cancer Act would provide funds for expansion of cancer registries, development of comprehensive data systems and implementation of case-manager programs, which would provide patients with counselors to act as guides throughout their treatment. Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) is also a sponsor.
Armstrong, who began battling testicular cancer in 1996, stressed the importance of empowering patients to make informed decisions about their own medical treatment. “We hope that they know that they’re the boss–that they can dictate their treatment, they can manage their lives, they can manage their care, they can make decisions based on what’s good for them and move into the latter part of life and be a cancer survivor,” Armstrong said.
Included in the bill are a number of programs designed to address the specific needs of cancer survivors and their families. “Many Americans think once the c-word is mentioned your fate is sealed,” said Senator Joseph Biden Jr. (D-Del.), a co-sponsor of the measure, who said his home state has the nation’s highest cancer mortality rate among women. “Lance Armstrong is a walking, riding, speaking monument to the fact that there is efficacy in us asking you, the American people, not only for your support, but for the tax dollars, for your commitment to working on the plight of and the opportunities that are there for the survivors.”
The senators spoke confidently of the bill’s is prospects. “I’m convinced that we will get this passed and that it will make a difference,” Kennedy said.
Published in The Lawrence Eagle Tribune, in Massachusetts.
