| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 3, 2022 |
PRESS CONTACT Claire Murchison claire@firesidecampaigns.com |
Health Care Voices Founder & Cancer Survivor Laura Packard Urges Congress to Pass Build Back Better, Lower Prescription Drug Costs Ahead of World Cancer Day, Cancer Moonshot Relaunch
DENVER — Friday February 4th is World Cancer Day, a day to raise awareness about cancer prevention, detection, and treatment, and to honor those who have fought this disease. For millions, the struggle to access affordable health insurance amid the greatest health insurance losses in U.S. history and cost-prohibitive prescription drugs have forced many to navigate cancer and COVID-19 without care.
However, with Biden’s plan to restart the Cancer Moonshot program, an initiative that aims to reduce the death rate from cancer by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years, patients may soon benefit from increased services to detect and treat cancer earlier than ever before.
This World Cancer Day, Health Care Voices Founder Laura Packard is calling on Congress to pass Build Back Better, and lower the cost of prescription drugs to ensure that every American can access the affordable life insurance and life-saving care they need.
Health Care Voices Founder Laura Packard issued the following statement:
“I’m a stage-4 cancer survivor and the Affordable Care Act saved my life. Without my health insurance, I could have never afforded the treatment I needed to be in remission today. This World Cancer Day, I am thankful to still be here, and encourage Congress to pass Build Back Better to make health insurance more affordable and available for many more Americans, and to lower the cost of prescription drugs needed to treat cancer and other diseases.”
“Even amidst the pandemic, it’s critical to prioritize preventative screening services like mammograms, pap smears, prostate exams, low dose CT scans for lung cancer detection and more. These screenings help save lives, potentially even yours. That’s why I hope Cancer Moonshot will be successful, and make good on its promise to reduce preventable cancer deaths by at least 5o percent over the next 25 years and beyond.”
“As we reimagine a world where millions of preventable cancer deaths are saved and access to life-saving cancer treatment and care is equitable for all, I urge Congress to act in lockstep with President Biden. Passing Build Back Better and lowering the cost of prescription drugs, paired with Cancer Moonshot, can help make this a reality.”
Laura Packard is the founder of Health Care Voices, executive director of Health Care Voter, and a stage-4 cancer survivor. The Affordable Care Act saved her life. She is a co-host of Care Talk, a call-in health care show on act.tv to answer America’s health insurance questions about the ACA, Medicare and Medicaid (airing Mondays at 4:30pm ET). If you’d like to connect with Laura to discuss the importance of early detection and why and how Americans should take advantage of the free preventative cancer screenings available through the ACA, please reach out to claire@firesidecampaigns.com.
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