January 11, 2000
VIA TELECOPY
TO CEOs OF NEW JERSEY HEALTH PLANS:
The undersigned organizations, comprising the Cancer Leadership Council, advocate on behalf of people with cancer. A longstanding priority of all our organizations has been coverage of routine patient care costs for persons enrolled in high quality cancer clinical trials. Therefore, we were very pleased to see the report in the New York Times concerning your decision to adopt such coverage.
Our organizations have been involved for some time in educating patients, physicians, policymakers, and the public of the benefits of clinical research and the necessity for ready access to trials. The cancer research effort must be collaborative if it is to succeed, and we look forward to working with you in education and public awareness efforts. We would appreciate your active support of our ongoing efforts to pass federal legislation to require Medicare to cover routine patient care costs for those enrolled in cancer clinical trials and your support of a clinical trials provision in patient protection legislation. Broad access to clinical trials will benefit all of us, and you could support our work by sharing with Members of Congress your decision and urging similar action in the Medicare program and in other health plans.
Sincerely,
Cancer Leadership Council
Alliance for Lung Cancer
Advocacy, Support and Education
American Cancer Society
American Society of Clinical Oncology
Association of American Cancer Institutes
Cancer Care, Inc.
Cancer Research Foundation of America
Cure For Lymphoma Foundation
Kidney Cancer Association
Leukemia Society of America, Inc.
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
National Patient Advocate Foundation
North American Brain Tumor Coalition
Oncology Nursing Society
Ovarian Cancer National Alliance
US-TOO International, Inc.
Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization