​Highlights include Cancer Votes in action, a major milestone for Major Milestone for MCED, and the documentary In Due Season.

Thanks to all who submitted feedback on this monthly communication last month. We continue to need your thoughts on how we can make the Monthly Advocacy Update as impactful as possible. If you haven’t already, please take a moment to fill out this quick 2-minute survey. Monthly Advocacy Update Feedback 

A message from ACS CAN President Lisa Lacasse

Cancer Votes Action

While these past weeks have brought scorching temperatures to D.C. and around the country, ACS CAN's Cancer Votes program has continued to heat up this election cycle. As a direct result of our team’s advocacy, 34 candidates, including 14 U.S. Senate and 20 U.S. House candidates, have already signed the Cancer Promise. Ahead of the first presidential debate in June, we rallied our online advocates to urge the debate moderators to pose questions centered on health care, resulting in volunteers taking almost 900 online actions. Although our issues weren’t the focus of the debate, we will continue to elevate cancer and health care affordability issues in the 2024 election cycle.

Next week we are looking forward to a coffee chat with U.S. Senate Candidate Sen. Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin on July 16, moderated by Phil O'Brien, our Cancer Votes National Ambassador and Board member. We have held other successful coffee chats with candidates, including former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a U.S. Senate Candidate and cancer survivor. These chats are key opportunities for our volunteers to pose questions to candidates regarding our cancer priorities. See photo above.

We currently have 486 Cancer Votes volunteers activated across 46 states and territories. And we are gearing up for our Power to Impact: Essential Briefing for Cancer Votes Volunteers call on July 16 at 7:30 p.m. EST open to all volunteers. I encourage you to follow our Cancer Votes work and share your voice on your social accounts using #CancerVotes and tagging @ACSCAN. 

Major Milestone for MCED

June also brought critical progress for our work to advance access to exciting innovation in early detection for Medicare enrollees when the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means marked up and passed the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) Screening Coverage Act by a vote of 38-0. (See photo at right.) This strong model of bipartisan supported legislation, championed by Representatives Jodey Arrington (R-TX) and Terri Sewell (D-AL), has the backing of 292 members of the House of Representatives and 62 senators, two-thirds of the Congress. In addition to congressional support, more than 520 organizations from across the country, in every state, have signed on to one or more formal letters of support.

ACS CAN volunteers who flew in from key congressional districts joined the D.C. team for the markup hearing on June 27. ACS CAN was acknowledged as a strong supporter of the bill publicly and repeatedly by members of the Ways and Means Committee during the markup. We posted a video wrap up demonstrating our powerful presence that day. Take a look!

Join the In Due Season Movement 

This month I’m excited about special screenings for In Due Season, our new short documentary highlighting how systemic racism contributes to health care policy decisions for Black Americans in the Medicaid coverage gap. Join ACS CAN on Wednesday, July 31, at a special film screening and reception in Washington, D.C. at MLK Jr. Memorial Library. RSVP here. You can also join us August 7 at 7:30 pm for a virtual screening hosted by ACS CAN’s Black Volunteer Caucus in partnership with Black Voters Matter. Register here. Interested in hosting a screening? Please contact, Carter Steger, VP, State and Local Campaigns. 

Thank you, as always, for your continued commitment to ACS CAN, 

Judicial Updates

• The U.S. Supreme Court announced on July 2 that it will hear the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) appeal of the e-cigarette case (FDA v. Wages and White Lion Investments dba Triton Distribution) in which the Fifth Circuit vacated marketing denial orders (MDOs) issued by the agency for flavored e-cigarette products. ACS CAN and other public health partners urged the high court to take the case in an amicus brief after the Fifth Circuit decision leaves products like Jimmy the Juice and Strawberry Astronaut on the market. Flavors like these are proven to attract youth and make it harder for adults to quit. Seven other circuit courts have let MDOs issued by FDA stand, so there is a circuit split. ACS CAN plans to continue to engage in the case. 
• In June, the FDA dealt a blow to public health by authorizing the sale of four menthol e-cigarettes manufactured by NJOY LLC. Before then, the FDA had issued MDOs for every flavored e-cigarette product it has reviewed, previously finding the applicants failed to produce reliable evidence their product benefits public health and had not yet authorized any menthol flavored e-cigarettes. ACS CAN will continue strongly advocating to urge prohibition of all flavors in all tobacco products at all levels of government.  
• ACS CAN criticized a U.S. Supreme Court decision in a joint statement on Loper Bright Enterprises, as the case undermines federal agencies’ authority to issue and defend regulations. The decision overturned a 40-year-old precedent that required courts to defer to executive agencies when a statute is ambiguous. This could lead to major challenges for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the FDA. 
• ACS CAN and 24 other organizations, applauded the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine et al. v FDA et al, that allows the drug mifepristone a drug prescribed for the treatment of a variety of life-threatening conditions, including cancer, to remain on the market. The case was thrown out on the grounds that the plaintiffs don’t have standing in their challenge concerning the use and availability of the drug, but ACS CAN remains concerned that other challengers could continue the lawsuit and undercut FDA’s scientific expertise in issuing other drug approvals. 

Federal Updates

• The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor Health and Human Services considered and approved its draft FY25 appropriations bill that includes increases for federal cancer research funding at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The House spending bill includes: $48.581 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is the same as FY24 funding, which included $7.875 billion for the National Cancer Institute (NCI), an increase of $651.1 million, and $500 million for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), which is a $1 billion cut from FY24 levels. See our statement. 
• ACS CAN recently hosted a corporate partner briefing and a Congressional Briefing, Exploring Clinical Trials and Cancer Screenings, with the National Hispanic Medical Association to build support for the Clinical Trail Modernization Act. The recently introduced legislation will ensure that more patients—regardless of their economic means or their geographic location—have a chance to enroll in clinical trials. The briefing featured Congressman Raul Ruiz (D-CA) the lead sponsor of the bill. ACS CAN volunteer and cancer survivor Dulcely Tavarez of New York presented her survivor story along with ACS CAN volunteer Beatrice Cardenas-Duncan of California. The briefing was moderated by ACS CAN’s Director of Federal Relations James Williams and other speakers included Juan Santamaria, MD, FACS, University of Nebraska Medical Center and Estelamari Rodriguez, MD, MPH, University of Miami Health System.
• ACS CAN was a pivotal sponsor for the National Indian Health Board’s 2024 National Tribal Health Conference and Public Health Summit in Rapid City, SD. Our sponsorship underscored the importance of cancer research, prevention, and treatment for Indian Health. ACS CAN contributed to the conference's content and educational and networking opportunities by hosting a cancer track. Our rich content included a fireside chat, during the opening plenary, and three workshops: Cancer Screening, Medicaid Unwinding and Protecting Access to Coverage, and Effective Advocacy. We also engaged with the over 1,200 attendees through our exhibit table. ACS CAN and ACS colleagues and ACS CAN volunteers also attended and actively participated in the conference. 

Take Action

Urge Congress to increase funding for cancer research. For the first time ever, there are expected to be more than 2 million cancer diagnoses in the U.S. this year alone. Certain types of cancers are on the rise in younger people. Cancer research is one of our best tools to combat these trends. Join us to advocate for more federal funding for cancer and biomedical research.

State Updates 

• Governor Shapiro signed an access to biomarkers bill into law, securing a major win for patients across Pennsylvania. The new law will require all state-regulated health plans, including Medicaid, to cover comprehensive biomarker testing, which will enable more Pennsylvanians to access biomarker testing that can open the door to precision medicine. 
• The California State legislature passed, and Governor Newsom signed the budget that includes funding to implement biomarker testing beginning this month. 
• In Ohio lawmakers allocated $50,000 for the Cleveland Hope Lodge in the capital budget to provide structural updates to the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge and the House-passed biomarkers legislation is now headed to the state senate. 

In Case You Missed It

• ACS CAN celebrated Juneteenth, which marks the end of slavery in the United States and commemorates the independence of all Black Americans. As part of the lead-up to this important holiday, ACS CAN staff and volunteers across the country participated in Juneteenth events in their local communities. See our recap post on social media. 
• ACS CAN, along with our volunteer LGBTQIA+ and Allies and Engagement Group, proudly participated in 35 Pride events across 23 states in June with many more planned throughout the year. See our recap post. 
• ACS CAN hosted the 17th Annual American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Research and Health Equity Breakfast on Tuesday, June 25 in Boston, highlighting the importance of biomarker testing to help end cancer as we know it, for everyone, as well as seizing the opportunity to network with leaders from life sciences, health care, business, policymaking, and American Cancer Society funded cancer researchers. Speakers included ACS and ACS CAN CEO Dr. Karen Knudsen, John F. Crowley, President and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, Representative Meghan Kilcoyne, Dr. Naomi Ko, cancer survivor Jung A Han, and ACS CAN Board member and emcee Dana Bernson, MPH.

Advocacy in the News

•NYT: Here’s What the Court’s Chevron Ruling Could Mean in Everyday Terms

•Washington Post: What the Supreme Court Chevron decision means for environmental rules

•CNN: How the Supreme Court’s blockbuster ‘Chevron’ ruling puts countless regulations in jeopardy

•PBS: How banning medical debt from credit reports could help millions of Americans

•Salon: Cancer risks are far higher for LGBTQ folks. Here's how health justice groups are fighting back

•Pink Sheet: SCOTUS' Mifepristone Decision Sets High Bar For US FDA Suits

•Law 360: 5th Circ. Knocks Out National Block On ACA Preventive Care

•Penn Live: The Pennsylvania Senate must ensure patients have access to biomarker testing - Opinion

•CBS 6 Albany: New paid leave bill fails to pass N.Y. Assembly, advocacy group expresses disappointment

•KTNV Las Vegas: Two-time survivor urges screenings for prostate cancer

•Daily Memphian: It’s time for Tennessee to expand Medicaid