Public Policy Perspectives
The ICC actively encourages policy change that benefits the minority and underserved cancer community. In 1999, the ICC Caucus was established as an independent organization, of which the ICC is the sole member.
We support the following public policies:
- Fully implementing and funding the recommendation of the Trans-DHHS Cancer Health Disparities Progress Review Group’s report, “Making Cancer Health Disparities History.”
- Securing funding for the Patient Navigator, Outreach and Chronic Disease Prevention Act.
- Enhancing the collection of data that will better describe racial, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity in cancer care in the U.S.
- Increasing federal funding for government programs that provide greater access to cancer screening programs.
- Acknowledging and then quickly moving toward full redress and monitoring of institutionalized racism as a major factor in the excess burden of cancer borne by our nation’s minority and medically underserved communities.
- Making tobacco control a priority concern, backed by new federal and state initiatives that are specifically targeted to minorities and the medically underserved.
- Eliminating the barriers to more effective pain management and palliative care for the medically underserved.
- Increasing the level of knowledge about cancer survivorship among the medically underserved.
- Restoring Medicare reimbursement for cancer treatment and cancer care in all settings.
- Immediately implementing and increasing the funding for the Medicare demonstration project providing access to oral chemotherapy drugs.
- Enacting the Patients’ Bill of Rights to provide strong comprehensive protection to all cancer patients in managed care plans.
- Achieving universal health insurance and establishing a schedule to reach this goal by 2010.
One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC), a broad coalition of cancer-related organizations representing millions of Americans, supports the goals of the Cancer Moonshot initiative and calls on the White House and Congress to follow through on their vision to make funding for cancer research, prevention and survivorship programs a top priority in fiscal year (FY) 2017. Click here for the full letter to the Senate & to the House.