Most of Congress backs this bill to support breast cancer patients. Why isn’t it law?

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It is increasingly rare for more than half of the House of Representatives to agree on anything. Yet 259 bipartisan members have co-sponsored the Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act, co-led by Reps. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) and Kathy Castor (D-Fla.). So why is this bill languishing in the Ways and Means Committee?

By law, individuals under the age of 65 diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer are eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicare. But that law also imposes cruel and arbitrary waiting periods for these benefits: five months for disability insurance, followed by 24 months for Medicare. These are women and men with an average life expectancy of three years. They are literally dying while waiting for benefits they qualify for and have paid for through employment taxes.

I can attest that metastatic breast cancer devastates your life. Two years ago — 38 years after my initial  diagnosis, after years of being declared “cancer free” — I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, for which there is no cure.

I have been fortunate. I have what millions in the U.S. do not: great healthcare coverage and access to incredible healthcare professionals and state-of-the-art institutions. Still, every day I deal with the significant and increasing side effects of my treatments and my cancer, the constant assault on my mind and body, and the ever-growing to-do list of medical issues, all while working and trying to live my life the best I can. And even with top-of-the-line health insurance, I pay thousands of dollars a year for the drugs I need, the doctors I see, and the interventions that are necessary.

I may be fortunate, but I am also truly angry that our leaders are unwilling to use the power that we give them to improve what’s left of the lives of those with metastatic breast cancer.

I cannot imagine going through metastatic cancer without health coverage or the ability to pay for care. I cannot imagine having to worry about all of that in addition to the constant demands of this disease. I cannot believe we live in a country where that is the reality for so many.

I want our public servants in Congress to grasp the horrors of what their constituents endure. People like T’Ana, a Virginia mother of two forced to choose between supporting her family and treating her metastatic breast cancer. Despite working two jobs and previously taking out a loan to afford her medication, T’Ana eventually stopped treatment to avoid sliding into more debt. The Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act would protect women like her from having to make these impossible choices.

Congress found billions of dollars for immigration enforcement and billions more for the defense department. Our lawmakers stand by while those billions are spent on a war of choice in the Middle East. Surely our representatives can find the funds necessary to help women and men with metastatic breast cancer live longer and better.

Two-hundred and fifty-nine bipartisan House members have sponsored the Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act. That has to mean something.

Congress, it’s time to act — beginning with a markup in the House Ways and Means Committee, the next step to final passage this year. Enough lip service. Enough ignoring the real pain of so many of your constituents. It’s just enough. Pass the Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act.

Fran Visco, president of the National Breast Cancer Coalition, is a more than 30-year breast cancer survivor and 2025 recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second-highest civilian award in the United States.

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Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act

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