News Brief Archive
2023
1/29/2023 - Joined a letter to President Biden asking that he recognize March as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and light the White House blue, the official color of colorectal cancer, to honor those lost and those fighting the disease.
2022
12/6/2022 - Joined a broad range of stakeholders to urge Appropriations leaders to pass the FY23 Omnibus spending bill, and to include boosted funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and our nation’s other research agencies.
11/28/2022 - Asked congressional leadership to include the Access to Genetic Counselor Services Act (H.R.2144/S.1450) in a year-end legislative package so that Medicare beneficiaries can better access genetic counseling services.
11/21/2022 - Joined the Defense Health Research Consortium in encouraging congressional leaders to enact the FY23 Defense Appropriations Act, to ensure full funding of the Defense Health Research Programs, including the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).
11/2/2022 - Urged congressional leaders to prioritize the Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act (H.R.3183/S.1312), which eliminates waiting periods for SSDI benefits and for Medicare coverage for individuals with metastatic breast cancer.
10/6/2022 - Endorsed the PSA for HIM Act (H.R. 1176), which would waive deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance for prostate cancer screenings for those with a family history or who are African-American.
9/13/2022 - Joined hundreds of health and patient orgs in a letter to Senate leaders, urging them to ensure access to telehealth services with passage of a two-year extension of current telehealth policies, while continuing to push for a permanent extension.
9/13/2022 - Sent a letter urging Congress to pass the Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act (SALSA) legislation that would update Medicare’s payment system for laboratory services and foster innovation in future diagnostics.
8/12/2022 - Signed on with the National Society of Genetic Counselors and other orgs in a letter to CMS requesting that it consider inclusion of genetic counseling in the Medicare Quality Payment Program (QPP) Merit-based Incentive Payment System Inventory for Performance Year 2023 or future years.
7/11/2022 - Wrote committee leaders in the House and Senate to ask that the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) reauthorization include provisions aimed at creating equitable opportunities for clinical trial participation and improving trial diversity.
6/30/2022 - Urged Congress to address the need for cancer care affordability by passing legislation that permanently extends expanded subsidies in the ACA marketplaces, fixes the Medicaid “coverage gap,” and enacts a cap on out-of-pocket costs for Medicare Part D beneficiaries.
6/8/2022 - Joined over 70 orgs encouraging critical provisions included in Title V of the House Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) reauthorization which, if implemented, would improve diversity in clinical trials.
06/2/2022 - Asked congressional leaders to continue support and to increase funding for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) at the Department of Defense (DoD).
5/22/2022 - Provided feedback to the Senate HELP Committee urging changes to the VALID Act, which would reform the way lab tests are regulated. This followed a sign-on letter regarding the bill submitted the previous week.
5/11/2022 - Joined 90 orgs in a letter to House leadership urging them to include measures to improve clinical trial diversity in this year’s Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) reauthorization.
4/25/2022 - FORCE added its support to an effort spearheaded by SNMMI asking the House Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means Committee Leadership to schedule a hearing on the Facilitating Innovative Nuclear Diagnostics (FIND) Act.
4/5/2022 - Joined a coalition letter to the HHS Secretary emphasizing that regulatory reform of the framework for clinical laboratory diagnostics is essential to protect patients and ensure access to innovative, high-quality diagnostic tests.
3/29/2022 - Signed on in support of the Right Drug Dose Now (Right) Act, which will advance utilization of evidence-based pharmacogenomic (PGx) information in clinical practice, advance precision medicine, and improve quality of care.
3/3/2022 - Advocated for extending telehealth waivers beyond the public health emergency while cautioning against the inclusion of guardrails that would create access barriers to laboratory testing.
2/25/2022 - Joined nearly 100 organizations in a letter to congressional leadership supporting the reignited Cancer Moonshot initiative, highlighting the need to restart screenings and clinical trials and the importance of bipartisan support for cancer initiatives.
2/18/2022 - Wrote in support of the BENEFIT Act, which would require the FDA to include in the benefit-risk assessment framework of a new drug application how patient experience data was considered in the review process.
1/28/2022 - Submitted comments on the HHS proposed 2023 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters (NBPP) rule asking the administration to ensure that all copayments made by or on behalf of a patient count toward the individual's annual deductible and out-of-pocket limit.
1/27/2022 - Expressed support of Virginia HB477, which would eliminate cost-sharing for prostate cancer screening, making it more accessible for individuals in the state.
2021
12/2/2021 - Joined patient and provider organizations in asking Congress to delay the 2022 Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS), which calls for cuts in reimbursement for laboratory services, ultimately reducing access to essential lab tests.
11/29/2021 - Wrote House members thanking them for their support of the HELP Copays Act, which would require health plans to count the value of copay assistance toward patient cost-sharing requirements, bringing much-needed relief to financially vulnerable individuals.
11/15/2021 - Joined over 150 orgs to urge passage of the DIVERSE Trials Act, which will make it easier for patients to participate in clinical trials and remove barriers that keep certain populations from being appropriately represented.
11/12/2021 - Submitted comments on the "Genomic Sequence Analysis Panels in the Treatment of Solid Organ Neoplasms" policy proposed by Medicare's National Government Services, Inc. contractor.
11/1/2021 - Sent the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Financial Services a letter in support of S.640/H.1116, legislation that would require insurance coverage of fertility preservation for state residents facing a medical diagnosis or treatment that can impair their fertility.
10/26/2021 - An Alabama FORCE representative contacted the state's Medicaid leadership urging coverage of BRCA genetic testing, highlighting the fact that its program is the only one in the U.S. that doesn't cover this screening.
9/29/2021 - Wrote in support of Paid Family and Medical Leave provisions included in the FY 2022 Budget Reconciliation Proposal and advocated for a universal paid leave program.
9/9/2021 - Joined 131 groups in a letter to Congress outlining recommendations to improve prescription drug affordability in Medicare Part D.
8/23/2021 - FORCE submitted feedback on the VALID Act, legislation that proposes sweeping reform of federal oversight of laboratory-developed tests and in vitro diagnostics.
7/21/2021 - Lisa Schlager, FORCE VP of Public Policy, made remarks in support of the Protecting Access to Lifesaving Screenings (PALS) Act, which aims to preserve access to screening mammograms with no cost-sharing for women ages 40-49.
7/1/2021 - Effective today, North Carolina's Medicaid program will cover genetic counseling and BRCA mutation testing for those who have "higher than average risk" for the development of certain cancers based on specific personal and/or family history of the disease.
6/30/2021 - FORCE added its support to a letter sent to Senate HELP Committee leadership urging the prioritization of diagnostics reform on behalf of the In-vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Reform Coalition and the communities it represents.
5/21/2021 - Joined the Defense Health Research Consortium in a letter asking House and Senate leadership to continue support for the defense health research programs funded through the Department of Defense (DoD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).
3/31/2021 - Expressed support for legislation (S.5355/A.2151) that would establish genetic counseling as a licensed profession in the state of New York.
3/16/2021 - Signed on to support the Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act of 2021 (H.R. 1946), which will give CMS authority to cover blood-based multi-cancer early detection tests and future test methods, once approved by the FDA.
2/17/2021 - In a letter to President Biden, underscored the urgency of prioritizing access to the COVID-19 vaccine for patients with active cancer and survivors of cancer.
2/4/2021 - Joined a group of 75 organizations in a letter to HHS expressing concern that new Medicare Payment Modernization models proposed by the prior administration could jeopardize access to medically necessary prescription drugs and harm patients with serious illnesses.
1/28/2021 - Teamed up with other leading U.S. cancer organizations to endorse the resumption of cancer screening/treatment during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and to support the Cancer Won't Wait and Neither Should You campaign.
1/26/2021 - Submitted written comment and testified and in favor of genetic counselor licensure at the Maryland General Assembly's Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee hearing on proposed legislation.
