President Joe Biden mentioned cancer 13 times in his impassioned State of the Union address and placed cancer research at the top of his Unity Agenda—an indication that his administration would continue to prioritize funding for cancer research in fiscal year 2024.
“Last year, Jill and I reignited the Cancer Moonshot that President Obama asked me to lead in our administration,” Biden said Feb. 7 on Capitol Hill. “Our goal is to cut the cancer death rate by at least 50% over the next 25 years. Turn more cancers from death sentences into treatable diseases. And provide more support for patients and families.”
Five days earlier, on the anniversary of the reignited Cancer Moonshot, Biden announced an array of new initiatives, including a partnership led by NCI to bring clinical and patient navigation support to families facing childhood cancer, and $10 million in award funding to improve access to cancer screening.
“This reignited Moonshot is a call for an all-of-government and all-of-society approach with concern for the patient at the center of everything that we do,” NCI Director Monica Bertagnolli said at a Feb. 9 meeting of the National Cancer Advisory Board. “So, over the first year of this reignited Moonshot, we have taken this very much to heart.”
Bertagnolli’s remarks appear here.
The new Moonshot programs are designed to build on initiatives that were started in February 2022.
“The president’s plans include providing more support for patients and their families, in part by ensuring that patient navigation services are covered by health insurance for as many people facing cancer as possible,” Jennifer Pegher, executive director of the Association of American Cancer Institutes, said to The Cancer Letter. “Such services improve the health care experience and outcomes for cancer patients and their families, as well as providing value back to the health care system.”
The administration is also urging Congress to reauthorize the National Cancer Act of 1971, a seminal piece of legislation that was passed more than 50 years ago and which established the NCI in its current form (The Cancer Letter, Feb. 12, 2021).
“This would enable us to update our systems for today’s fight against cancer and lock in the strong investment in cancer research that passed in 2016 as part of the broadly bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act, which otherwise expires this year,” Danielle Carnival, the White House Cancer Moonshot coordinator, said Feb. 7 in a press call that preceded Biden’s speech.
The 21st Century Cures Act, which codified the Cancer Moonshot in 2016 and provides $1.8 billion over seven years for cancer research, sunsets at the end of FY23 (The Cancer Letter, To The Moon; Dec. 9, 2016). The White House is expected to ask for more dedicated funding for cancer research in tandem with the reauthorization of the National Cancer Act.
“We think it’s time for another bipartisan effort to come together and realize a 21st century cancer system with clinical trial networks that reach every community, modern data system so we can share knowledge and make progress faster,” Carnival said. “We can lock in that strong bipartisan support going forward.”
As Biden prepares to send his FY24 budget request to Congress on March 9, Washington insiders say the administration is likely to avoid cuts to NCI’s budget this time around. Over the past two years, the White House appears to have prioritized funding cancer research through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health by:
- Proposing a 2.9%, or $199 million, cut to NCI funding in FY23 as it urged Congress to add $4 billion to ARPA-H (The Cancer Letter, April 1, 2022).
- Asking for a smaller-than-expected increase of 2.7% to NCI’s budget in FY22, while pushing for $6.5 billion for ARPA-H.
NIH and NCI received a $2.5 billion and $408 million increase, respectively, in the FY23 omnibus appropriations package that Biden signed into law Dec. 23. The appropriation also includes additional funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, which is up by $500 million in FY23, a 50% increase from FY22 to $1.5 billion (The Cancer Letter, Jan. 6, 2023).
Increased federal investment in cancer research and cancer prevention programs, particularly at NIH, NCI and CDC—as well as continued funding for ARPA-H—is critical for reducing suffering and death from cancer, said Lisa LaCasse, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.
“Congress has an opportunity to double down on investments that have spurred discovery over the past half century and provide hope to the more than 1.9 million who will hear the words, ‘You have cancer’ this year alone,” Lacasse said in a statement Feb. 7. “For decades, cancer research funding has enjoyed strong bipartisan support—and with good reason. Federal cancer research represents American government at its best—saving lives, driving innovation, and fueling economic growth.”
Cancer groups urge lawmakers to reduce uncertainty in Medicare reimbursement and close the Medicaid coverage gap.
“We commend the administration’s commitment to reducing America’s cancer burden, and we hope the administration will address all existing barriers to equitable, high-quality cancer care,” Julie Gralow, chief medical officer and executive vice president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, said in a statement. “For example, prior authorization requirements are egregiously delaying care, worsening patient outcomes, and diverting doctors from patient care.
“However, we’re encouraged by actions the administration is taking to address prior authorization in its proposed rules, and we’re hopeful Congress will reintroduce federal legislation like the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act to streamline this process for millions of Americans.”
Up to 2 million people remain uninsured in states that have refused to expand Medicaid, Lacasse said.
“As states move toward ending continuous eligibility for Medicaid, the number of people in this country forced to go without health insurance will only grow,” Lacasse said. “American Cancer Society research has continually shown that health insurance status directly affects a person’s ability to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.”
Biden has signaled that the ultimate goal of Cancer Moonshot is to cure cancers, six years after launching the initiative in 2016 (The Cancer Letter, Sept. 16, 2022).
Biden’s Moonshot is “already at work, providing a whole-of-government approach to end cancer as we know it,” said Lisa Coussens, president of the American Association for Cancer Research.
“The AACR applauds President Biden’s important efforts to revolutionize the way we prevent, detect, and treat cancers, “ Coussens said in a statement. “This important framework, coupled with dedicated support for basic science, will help improve cancer prevention strategies, increase cancer screenings and early detection, reduce disparities, and propel new lifesaving cures for patients.
“The AACR looks forward to working with the administration and Congress to make faster progress against cancer so that we might achieve the goal that President Biden reiterated during his speech to cut cancer mortality in half in the next 25 years.”
Statements from cancer groups follow:
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
On behalf of cancer patients, survivors and their families, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) applauds the president’s continued focus and dedication to achieving the goal of the Cancer Moonshot, to end cancer as we know it. President Biden outlined several strategies in the State of the Union to reduce the cancer burden nationwide, including accelerated cancer discovery through investment in research, increased access to cancer prevention, and improved access to affordable, comprehensive health coverage.
“President Biden’s unequivocal commitment to changing the trajectory of the more than 200 diseases known as cancer is paramount to our ability to make strides against a disease that is projected to kill more than 600,00 Americans this year,” said Dr. Karen E. Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). “If we are to realize the President’s Moonshot goal, we must make advances that address the full cancer continuum, from prevention and screening, through treatment and survivorship.”
Increased federal investment in the fight against cancer, particularly for medical research funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), critical cancer prevention programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as continued funding for the Advanced Research Project Agency on Health (ARPA-H) are critical components to reducing suffering and death from cancer.
Let’s end cancer as we know it and cure some cancers once and for all. There’s one reason why we’re able to do all of these things: our democracy itself.
Joe Biden
“For decades, cancer research funding has enjoyed strong bipartisan support—and with good reason. Federal cancer research represents American government at its best—saving lives, driving innovation, and fueling economic growth,” said Lisa Lacasse, president of ACS CAN. “Congress has an opportunity to double down on investments that have spurred discovery over the past half century and provide hope to the more than 1.9 million who will hear the words, ‘You have cancer’ this year alone.”
To truly realize the potential of the advances we have made and will make in how we prevent, detect, treat and promote survivorship, equitable access to affordable, comprehensive care is imperative. Making Marketplace subsidies permanent and closing the Medicaid coverage gap both play a pivotal role in achieving the president’s ambitious Cancer Moonshot goal of significantly reducing cancer incidence and deaths in the next 25 years.
“For the 2 million people who remain uninsured in the 11 states that have refused to expand access to Medicaid, lack of access to meaningful, affordable coverage could be the difference between life and death,” Lacasse said. “As states move toward ending continuous eligibility for Medicaid, the number of people in this country forced to go without health insurance will only grow. American Cancer Society research has continually shown that health insurance status directly affects a person’s ability to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. This is why ACS CAN continues to advocate to close the Medicaid coverage gap nationwide and urges Congress to permanently expand enhanced tax credits making comprehensive health care purchased through the Marketplace more affordable for millions of individuals and families across the country.”
“On behalf of families impacted by cancer, we applaud President Biden’s commitment to take deliberate administrative actions and call to Congress to remain committed to the Cancer Moonshot by enacting laws and policies that will promote progress from prevention through survivorship,” said Lacasse. “We will continue to work alongside the Administration and Congress to end cancer as we know it, for everyone.”
American Society of Clinical Oncology
ASCO applauds President Biden’s focus on ‘ending cancer as we know it’ during the State of the Union address. We continue to urge the president to keep cancer care and research as top national priorities and are pleased with his plans to advance efforts to strengthen the Cancer Moonshot, improve cancer clinical trials, and foster breakthroughs through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).”
We commend the administration’s commitment to reducing America’s cancer burden, and we hope the administration will address all existing barriers to equitable, high-quality cancer care. For example, prior authorization requirements are egregiously delaying care, worsening patient outcomes, and diverting doctors from patient care. However, we’re encouraged by actions the administration is taking to address prior authorization in its proposed rules, and we’re hopeful Congress will reintroduce federal legislation like the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act to streamline this process for millions of Americans.”
Establishing long-term Medicare reimbursement solutions will help to protect patient access to care by ensuring that physicians have the resources necessary to care for patients in their communities. Uncertain reimbursement rates pose significant challenges to oncology practices and ultimately could restrict patient access to cancer care.”
ASCO appreciates President Biden’s ongoing efforts to improve the lives of people with cancer. We look forward to working together on the shared priority of accessible, high-quality, equitable cancer care.
Association of American Cancer Institutes
In his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, President Joe Biden highlighted his administration’s aim to turn more cancers from death sentences to treatable diseases and to cure some cancers once and for all.
The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) enthusiastically supports the president’s call to action. By enhancing the impact of AACI’s 108 academic cancer center members and advocating for legislation and funding that accelerates cancer cures, AACI can make a major contribution toward achieving the president’s goal of cutting U.S. cancer death rates by at least half in 25 years.
The president’s plans include providing more support for patients and their families, in part by ensuring that patient navigation services are covered by health insurance for as many people facing cancer as possible. Such services improve the health care experience and outcomes for cancer patients and their families, as well as providing value back to the health care system.
AACI also supports the president’s push for reauthorization of the National Cancer Act, highlighted by White House Cancer Moonshot Coordinator Dr. Danielle Carnival, in remarks following the speech. Reauthorization of the act will update the nation’s cancer research and care systems, including clinical trial networks, a primary focus of AACI’s Clinical Research Innovation program.
