August 3, 2000
The Honorable John D. Rockefeller
United States Senate
531 Hart Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator Rockefeller:
As you probably know, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) has recently posted on its website a proposed new National Coverage Decision regarding coverage of patient care costs for Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in quality clinical trials. We speak for thousands of cancer survivors, providers and researchers in expressing our deep appreciation for your many years of support for our position on this issue. Without your steadfast support, this wonderful advance for both individual cancer patients and overall progress against cancer would not have occurred.
At times, over the course of the past number of years, it has seemed as though we were in a losing fight, but your ongoing interest in the issue sustained our own energy and made us carry on. Now, our mutual success on this important issue has confirmed our joint efforts, and we have you and your colleagues in the Congress to thank for that.
The next Congress holds many challenges for biomedical research generally and cancer specifically. We look forward to facing those challenges with your strong support both in the Congress and outside it.
Cancer Leadership Council
Alliance for
Lung Cancer Advocacy, Support, and Education
American Cancer Society
American Society of Clinical Oncology
American Society for Therapeutic Radiology & Oncology, Inc.
Association of American Cancer Institutes
Cancer Care, Inc.
Cancer Research Foundation of America
The Children's Cause, Inc.
Coalition of National Cancer Cooperative Groups
Colorectal Cancer Network
Cure For Lymphoma Foundation
International Myeloma Foundation
Kidney Cancer Association
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
National Patient Advocate Foundation
National Prostate Cancer Coalition
North American Brain Tumor Coalition
Oncology Nursing Society
Ovarian Cancer National Alliance
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
US-TOO International, Inc.
Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization