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92_SJ0057 LRB9216344BHbh 1 SENATE 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, but, 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- LRB9216344BHbh 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 (H.R. 1624: S. 913); 4 therefore, be it 5 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SECOND GENERAL 6 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF 7 REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we respectfully urge 8 the Congress of the United States to adopt legislation 9 requiring the Medicare program to cover all oral anti-cancer 10 drugs; and be it further 11 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted 12 to the President of the United States, Members of the United 13 States Congress, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 14 and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and 15 Medicaid Services.