Cancer Care Advocates in D.C. Ask Congress to Protect Independent Community Oncology

Patients, Survivors, and Care Providers Meet with Lawmakers on Issues of Affordability and Care Access

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, June 11, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- More than 100 advocates from 23 states are assembling on Capitol Hill today to meet with their members of Congress and ask for support of independent community oncology. The advocates, including patients, survivors and their family members, oncologists, hematologists, pharmacists and pharmacy team members, and practice administrators, are gathering under the banner of the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) and asking members of Congress to implement policy fixes that increase the affordability of treatment, remove obstacles to care, and ensure practice longevity so future patients have easy access to care. COA and its advocates are holding almost 100 meetings with members of Congress and their staff.

While on the Hill, advocates are asking Congress to prioritize three goals:

1. Increase Patient Affordability. Differences in payments to hospitals versus independent practices and abuse of the 340B Drug Pricing Program are raising costs for patients. Advocates are asking Congress to pass site-neutral payment legislation and reform the 340B Program.

2. Remove Patient Access Obstacles. Insurers and middlemen, like pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), are instituting unnecessary obstacles to cancer care, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has banned medication delivery. Advocates are asking for reform of the prior authorization system, the passage of PBM reform, and the passage of the Seniors’ Access to Critical Medications Act (H.R. 2484) to allow patients with cancer to receive critical drugs through the mail.

3. Ensure Patient Access. For too long, practices have faced Medicare payments that do not keep up with inflation due to fee schedule cuts and outdated policies, making it harder to keep their doors open. Additionally, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has put providers in the middle between drug manufacturers and the government drug price negotiations which threatens to dramatically cut reimbursement. COA advocates are asking Congress to address low physician payments and ensure they do not fall behind inflation. They’re also asking for a technical fix to the IRA that takes providers out of the negotiation process, removing them from harm’s way.

“All patients deserve access to local, high-quality, and affordable cancer care. Unfortunately, current policies make this reality more out of reach than ever,” says Nicolas Ferreyros, managing director of COA. “We must address abusive middlemen like PBMs, reimbursement rates that have not even keep up with inflation, and misguided public policy to move the needle for America’s patients. As cancer treatments advance, there is more hope than ever for patients battling cancer. To make this hope accessible for all, we must protect independent community oncology and the policies that support it.”

COA advocates gather several times a year to meet with members of Congress. To learn more about COA visit www.CommunityOncology.org and to get involved in CPAN visit www.COAAdvocacy.org.

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About the Community Oncology Alliance
The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for community oncology practices and, most importantly, the patients they serve. COA is the only organization dedicated solely to community oncology where the majority of Americans with cancer are treated. The mission of COA is to ensure that patients with cancer receive quality, affordable, and accessible cancer care in their own communities. Learn more about COA at www.communityoncology.org.

About the COA Patient Advocacy Network (CPAN)
The Community Oncology Alliance Patient Advocacy Network (CPAN) is a chapter-based national advocacy organization committed to raising awareness of independent, community cancer care centers and how national and local health care policy issues may affect patient care. CPAN advocates include patients, survivors, caregivers, and members of the oncology care team who share personal stories so policymakers and the community can understand the importance of personalized, affordable cancer care close to where patients live and work. Sign up to become an advocate or find your local chapter at www.COAAdvocacy.org.

Drew Lovejoy
Community Oncology Alliance
info@coacancer.org