Congresswoman Renee Ellmers (R-NC-02), U.S. House of Representatives, discusses the importance of the Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2013 (H.R. 1416).

Ellmers says this is a sensible bill that takes care of Medicare patients with cancer in relation to the sequester that negatively affected physician-administered drugs under part B of the Medicare program. Currently, oncologists and other physicians that purchase expensive drugs to care for their patients find themselves in a difficult situation. Ellmers says cancer patients on Medicare are most vulnerable.

Ellmers says she has been working hard on this bill for over a year and is determinedâ€‹ to change the current situation and ensure that care can be provided in community cancer centers. If patients with cancer are unable to continue to receive care at a center they feel comfortable with, they may have to travel great distances to another cancer center. This could both interrupt care and make it more expensive for an individual patient.

Renee Ellmers

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Congresswoman Renee Ellmers Discusses the Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2013