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92_HJ0065
LRB9216234RHrh
1 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and
3 mortality in the State of Illinois and throughout the Nation;
4 and
5 WHEREAS, Cancer is disproportionately a disease of the
6 elderly, with more than half of all cancer diagnoses
7 occurring in persons age 65 or older, who are thus dependent
8 on the federal Medicare program for provision of cancer care;
9 and
10 WHEREAS, Treatment with anti-cancer drugs is the
11 cornerstone of modern cancer care; elderly cancer patients
12 must have access to potentially life-extending drug therapy,
13 but the Medicare program's coverage of drugs is limited to
14 injectable drugs or oral drugs that have an injectable
15 version; and
16 WHEREAS, The Nation's investment in biomedical research
17 has begun to bear fruit with a compelling array of new oral
18 anti-cancer drugs that are less toxic, more effective, and
19 more cost-effective than existing therapies; however, because
20 such drugs do not have an injectable equivalent, they are not
21 covered by Medicare; and
22 WHEREAS, Non-coverage of these important new products
23 leaves many Medicare beneficiaries confronting the choice of
24 either substantial out-of-pocket personal costs or selection
25 of more toxic, less effective treatments that are covered by
26 the program; and
27 WHEREAS, Medicare's failure to cover oral anti-cancer
28 drugs leaves at risk many beneficiaries suffering from
29 blood-related cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma,
30 as well as cancers of the breast, lung, and prostate; and
31 WHEREAS, Certain Members of the United States Congress
-2- LRB9216234RHrh
1 have recognized the necessity of Medicare coverage for all
2 oral anti-cancer drugs and introduced legislation in the
3 107th Congress to achieve that result (HR 1624; S. 913);
4 therefore, be it
5 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
6 NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
7 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we respectfully urge the
8 Congress of the United States to adopt legislation requiring
9 the Medicare program to cover all oral anti-cancer drugs; and
10 be it further
11 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted
12 to the President of the United States, to the members of the
13 United States Congress, the Secretary of Health and Human
14 Services, and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare
15 and Medicaid Services.