At the annual Zero Legislative Summit, advocates secure federal funding for prostate cancer research and push for copay assistance programs.

I attended their Annual Legislative Summit in Washington DC, February 25-28. The focus this year was to discuss with our state legislators the need and importance of federal funding for prostate cancer research and testing copays.
The United States Preventive Services Task Force’s {USPSTF} current recommendation for PSA testing copays does not adequately protect men who are at the highest risk for developing and dying from prostate cancer. Members of Congress attending the summit introduced the Prostate Specific Antigen Screening for High-Risk Insured Men Act which would ensure screening coverage is provided with no cost-sharing requirements to African American men and men with a family history of prostate cancer under private health insurance plans. The fiscal note is $120 million, compared to the breast cancer fiscal note is $150 million.
Additionally, a request has been made to the Appropriations Committee to provide $20 million to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to increase outreach to African American and other high-risk men including support for webinars and virtual and in-person support groups. $7 million of this
amount is earmarked for initiatives to increase outreach and education among African American men and other high-risk groups such as veterans.
The Prostate Cancer Community Assistance, Research and Education Act (PC-CARE Act), would establish a Prostate Cancer Coordinating Committee to monitor, coordinate, and evaluate the activities of Federal prostate cancer research programs to ensure continuity and equitable distributions.
In Missouri, 96 in every 100,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and 17.8 in every 100,000 men will die. This year it is estimated that there will be 551O new cases and 650 deaths.
#ProstateCancerAwareness #MedicalResearchFunding #HealthcareAdvocacy