Politics & Government

Bishop Pushes Cancer Patient Protection Act at Local Treatment Center

Bill would restore the pre-sequestration levels of Medicare reimbursements for cancer drugs.

At medical practices such as North Shore Hematology/Oncology Associates in East Setauket, the federal government's sequestration cuts have hit an already-vulnerable population: cancer patients.

With cuts to Medicare reimbursements for cancer drugs in effect, North Shore Hematology/Oncology Associates has had to send about 15 percent of its patients to hospitals for treatment.

"Having to migrate their treatment to hospitals is a huge stressor — higher copays, farther distances to travel. Hospitals are great places for sick patients, but in this instance, community oncology centers are better," said Dr. Jeff Vacirca, the CEO of North Shore Hematology/Oncology Associates.

But a bill being co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Tim Bishop, D-Southampton, has the potential to rectify that. If passed, the Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2013 would restore pre-sequestration levels of Medicare funding for cancer treatments.

Because community cancer treatment centers are redirecting patients to hospitals — where cancer treatments are typically more expensive — coverage for treatments through Medicare will cost on average $6,500 more per year per patient than treatments at the local practices. Bishop said while sequestration is thought to be saving $85 billion in federal expenditures, this loophole that sends more patients to hospitals for cancer treatment will wind up costing between $442 million and $600 million more than treatment at community oncology practices.

He called it an "unintended consequence of what is very, very poor public policy."

The bill would allow Medicare to fund cancer treatment drug reimbursements at their pre-sequestration rates by applying cuts in a flexible manner elsewhere within the Medicare funding structure.

Linda Rossis, of Patchogue, whose husband, George, suffers from lung cancer and receives treatment at North Shore Hematology/Oncology Associates, urged lawmakers to support the Cancer Patient Protection Act.

"The care that's given to these patients here I don't think can be given anywhere else," Rossis said.

Tom McCloskey, of Port Jefferson Station, a grandfather of 13 who suffers from non-Hodgkins lymphoma, called the sequestration's effect on Medicare "wrong." He said he is afraid he will be sent to a hospital for treatment instead of being able to continue to come to North Shore Hematology/Oncology Associates, where he has been going for nine years.

"It looks like it's going to happen if they can't cover the cost of the the drugs," he said. "It's terrible. ... Where am I going to go and what's going to happen when I get there? Are the people going to know what I need? I was in a hospital in January and it was chaotic. I just can't imagine all these people walking into the hospital, how they're going to schedule us. They do this routinely here."

Bishop called for bipartisan support for the Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2013.

"This is madness," he said. "We need to fix this problem. We also need to fix the much larger problem of sequestration."


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