Here are the facts:

• Cancer screening tests covered by Medicare are currently limited to just five cancer types - breast, colorectal, prostate, lung, and cervical
• ~70% of the 600,000 cancer deaths each year are caused by cancer types that do not have screening tests available.
• Multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests are innovative screening tests designed to detect many different cancer types in early stages, sometimes while patients are still asymptomatic.
   

Congress has the power to create a pathway that would allow for Medicare coverage of these early detection tests. The Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act (H.R. 2407) would establish a new method for Medicare coverage of MCED tests following approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If this legislation is passed, this new coverage pathway would ensure that when MCED tests are approved by the FDA, patients don’t face unnecessary access delays and can access critical healthcare.  

MCEDs have the potential to revolutionize cancer care by identifying multiple types of cancer in their early, more treatable stages. Early detection can significantly reduce mortality rates, improve patient outcomes, and lower healthcare costs by enabling less invasive and more effective treatments. 

Nearly 400 Members of Congress and over 500 leaders in cancer advocacy agree: now is the time to pass this legislation! With only a handful of legislative days left this year, Congress must act to reduce missed cancer screenings by passing the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act (H.R. 2407).