Download Sample Action Alert - State Patients Equal Access Coalition

Sample Action Alert
We need your help to ensure cancer patients in [STATE] can access all forms of approved
anticancer treatments. New legislation introduced, [BILL #] would help make oral anticancer
treatments more affordable for patients who need them.
[IF USING ONLINE ADVOCACY, INSERT LINK HERE - Contact your Representatives now to ask
them to support [BILL #] and keep chemotherapy covered for cancer patients].
Many insurance plans cover oral anticancer treatments differently than treatments
administered using an IV. [BILL SPONSOR] has introduced [BILL #] to require insurers to treat
cost-sharing for oral anticancer treatments in the same way they treat cost-sharing for IV
treatments.
[ORGANIZATION] believes that all cancer patients should have access to the treatment
recommended by their physicians and should not pay more in out-of-pocket costs because of
the way a drug happens to be administered.
Please help us by calling or writing your [STATE] Representatives/Senators to ask them to
please support [BILL #]. ALL cancer patients in [STATE] deserve affordable access to the
treatments they’ve been prescribed.
Email Template
Subject: Please Help Make Oral Anticancer Medications Affordable for [STATE] Cancer
Patients
Dear Representative/Senator______,
I am writing to you to ask for your support of [BILL # & TITLE]. The bill, introduced by
[REPRESENTATIVE or SENATOR], would require that the financial requirements and treatment
limitations for oral anticancer medications be no more restrictive than they are for cancer
medications that are administered intravenously (IV) or by injection.
[Editable text here – personal story]
Typically, oral anticancer medications are covered under a health plan’s pharmacy benefit while
IV anticancer medications are covered under the medical benefit. This often results in
extremely high cost-sharing for patients receiving oral anticancer medications, as they are
asked to pay a percentage of the total cost of the drug, usually thousands of dollars each
month. Conversely, those receiving IV anticancer medications are often responsible for a small
co-pay between $30-$50, per treatment per month. As a result, patients are often are often
faced with substantial financial hardship or have to forgo treatment entirely.
It is estimated that oral anticancer medications account for as much as 35 percent of the
oncology development pipeline. Many of these oral anticancer treatments do NOT have an IV
alternative so many times patients have no choice but to pay high out-of-pocket costs in order
to access to the treatments necessary for their care. It is absolutely imperative that patients
have access to ALL approved therapies regardless of how they’re administered. Treatment
decisions should be determined by a medical team not outdated insurance practices.
As your constituent and someone whose life has been impacted by cancer, I strongly urge you
to support [BILL #]. Your support could mean the difference for countless cancer patients living
throughout our state!
Sincerely,