National Breast Cancer Coalition
2020 Legislative and Public Policy Priorities
Thank you for being a part of the National Breast Cancer Coalition and for supporting our mission to end breast cancer. As you know, each year the grassroots NBCC Board of Directors, with input from our members, sets our public policy and legislative priorities for the coming year. I am pleased to tell you about the priorities for 2020. They serve as the foundation of our legislative advocacy work throughout the year, and along with grassroots mobilization efforts, provide the context for the action alerts sent to our network.
Please distribute NBCC’s 2020 Legislative and Public Policy Priorities to your networks and keep them on hand to use in your NBCC legislative advocacy work. As we develop specific strategies to forward our priorities, your prompt attention and action on alerts will be critical to our success.
Legislative Priorities
PRIORITY #1:
$150 Million for the Department of Defense (DOD) Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP) for FY2021: As a result of NBCC’s grassroots advocacy, the DOD BCRP was created in 1992 to “eradicate breast cancer by funding innovative, high-impact research through a partnership of scientists and consumers.” The DOD BCRP is widely viewed as an innovative, unique, and efficient medical research model which has proven to be accountable to the public and has produced extraordinary results. NBCC seeks continued funding for this successful program.
PRIORITY #2:
Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act: A bill to waive the 24 month waiting period for Medicare eligibility and the 5 month waiting period for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits for individuals with Metastatic Breast Cancer. This legislation would waive all waiting periods for Medicare eligibility and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) eligibility on the basis of disability for individuals with metastatic breast cancer.
PRIORITY #3:
Preservation of the Medicaid Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program: Congress enacted the Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act in 2000 after years of NBCC grassroots lobbying and influence. NBCC remains committed to ensuring all women and men screened and diagnosed with breast cancer through federal screening programs have access to the treatment they need.
Public Policy Priorities
PRIORITY #1:
Guaranteed Access to Quality Care for All: Ensuring access to quality, evidence-based health care has been a top priority of NBCC for many years. Prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the NBCC grassroots Board of Directors approved a Framework for a Health Care System Guaranteeing Access to Quality Health Care for All which built on NBCC’s Principles for Quality Care. In 2010, NBCC endorsed and advocated for the passage and implementation of ACA which marked important steps forward in access to quality health care for individuals with, and at risk of, breast cancer. The Coalition opposes and will work to defeat any and all efforts to repeal the ACA or replace it with something less expansive.
PRIORITY #2:
Ensuring the Participation of Educated Patient Advocates in Science Research and all Levels of Health Care Decision Making: NBCC continues to work to ensure that educated patient advocates who represent a constituency, have a meaningful “seat at the table” in all levels of health care decision making which affects their lives.
