Join us in telling Congress #KidsDeserveCures
Today is a Pediatric Cancer Day of Action!
Today is a community day of action, where we join with other organizations and advocates around the country to build momentum behind the Childhood Cancer STAR Reauthorization Act and the Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act. Our goal is to compel as many legislators as possible to cosponsor these two bills at a critical time in this legislative session.
To do that, we ask you to join us in sending messages to Congress and helping to build a buzz on social media (use hashtag #KidsDeserveCures). Speaking of social media, we’ve just launched a TikTok channel! Check it out today to hear more from us about these bills.
Learn more below, and then follow the links to send your Members of Congress a quick message seeking their support as cosponsors:
Childhood Cancer STAR Reauthorization Act
(H.R.7630 / S.4120)
Today, far too many children are being treated with outdated therapies that were often developed to treat adults. Continued investment in pediatric cancer research funding is key to combatting childhood cancer.
The Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access and Research (STAR) Act is the most comprehensive childhood cancer bill in history and was signed into law in 2018. The legislation authorized $30 million every year for five years to fund STAR Act programs. As the original STAR Act nears its expiration, join us in seeking five more years of funding through the STAR Reauthorization Act.
Use this alert to ask your Members of Congress to cosponsor this legislation, which expands opportunities for childhood cancer research, improves efforts to identify and track childhood cancer incidences, and enhances the quality of life for childhood cancer survivors.
Accelerating Kids' Access to Care Act
(H.R.3089 / S.1544)
This legislation aims to improve timely access to care for children with cancer that are enrolled in Medicaid. Because when children need cancer treatment, time is of the essence.
Under current requirements, providers regularly spend an immense amount of time to address Medicaid/CHIP enrollment requirements when a child's medical condition requires them to obtain care from an out-of-state provider or care team. This process causes burdensome, unnecessary delays in providing time-sensitive care and can cause a child's condition to worsen.
This legislation would address these delays by reducing this administrative burden and creating an alternative opt-in pathway for eligible providers of children with complex medical needs.
Use our alert to ask your Members of Congress to support this bill to help ensure that children with cancer are able to receive out-of-state care when they need it.