In prep for our annual Call_on Congress 2013 event and the upcoming advocacy in the fight against colorectal cancer.

1. FIGHT COLORECTAL CANCER
LEGISLATIVE AND
REGULATORY AGENDA
2013
http://fightcolorectalcancer.org/policy

2. Funding for the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Colorectal
Cancer Control Program (CRCCP)
• The CRCCP currently provides funding
through 2014 to 25 states and four
tribal organizations for implementation
of colorectal cancer
education, awareness and screening
programs.
• The CRCCP was funded at $43 million
in FY 2011 and FY 2012.

3. • Over the past few years, Fight Colorectal
Cancer has advocated for increasing the
CRCCP’s budget to $70 million. It is
estimated, that $70 million would allow the CDC
to expand the CRCCP nationally.
• Fight Colorectal Cancer has also fought against
consolidating the CRCCP with the other CDC
cancer control programs or other chronic
disease programs.
The President’s FY 2012 and 2013 budgets
called for consolidation, but the proposal has not
received much support to date from Congress.

4. • Last year, the Senate Appropriations
Committee approved its Labor-HHS-
Education spending bill, which flat
funds the CRCCP in FY 2013.
However, final action on a FY 2013
Labor-HHS-Education spending bill is
still pending.
• http://www.appropriations.senate.gov/

5. • Recommendation: Fight Colorectal
Cancer will advocate for increased
funding for the CRCCP to $70 million
in FY 2014 and continue to oppose
consolidation of the cancer control
programs.

6. Funding for the Department of
Defense (DoD) Peer Reviewed
Cancer Research Program (PRCRP)
• The PRCRP falls under the Congressionally
Directed Medical Research Programs
(CDMRPs), which funds research for
colorectal cancer, among other cancers.
A hallmark of the CDMRPs is their focus on
innovative, multidisciplinary research. PRCRP
funding specifically supports research on
designated cancers with relevance to military
service members and their families.

7. • Fight Colorectal Cancer requested $16
million for the PRCRP in FY 2013.
The program is currently funded at $12.8
million. Increasing PRCRP funding by $3.2
million would restore program funding to
FY 2011 levels.
• Last year, the House approved its FY 2013
DoD spending bill, which includes $15
million for the PRCRP.
However, final action on a FY 2013 DoD
spending bill is still pending.

8. Fight Colorectal Cancer will advocate to
increase funding for the PRCRP to $16
million in FY 2014.

9. Funding for the National Cancer
Institute (NCI)
• The NCI funds critical colorectal cancer research, including
through the Specialized Programs of Research
Excellence, which enables rapid and efficient movement of
basic scientific findings into clinical settings.
• Last year, Fight Colorectal Cancer requested that the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) be funded at $32.7 billion
in FY 2013, which would provide the NCI with $5.36 billion.
In June, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its
Labor-HHS-Education spending bill, which would boost
funding to the NIH by $100 million, for a total of $30.7 billion.
Of that amount, $5.084 billion is allocated to the NCI, which
constitutes a $15 million increase.
The House Labor-HHS-Education would flat fund the NIH at
$30.6 million. The result is a $2 million cut to the NCI. Final
action on a FY 2013 Labor-HHS-Education spending bill is
still pending

10. • Recommendation: Fight Colorectal
Cancer will advocate for increased
funding for the NIH to $32.623 billion
and NCI to $5.349 billion in FY 2014

11. Federal Funding Sequestration
• In August 2011, Senate Democrats and House Republicans brokered a
compromise to trim $2 trillion from the budget deficit. Under the deal, $1 trillion
in spending cuts will occur across defense and non-defense spending programs
and will be phased in over 10 years. An additional $1.2 trillion in cuts will occur
over the next 10 years through a process of automatic across-the-board
spending cuts, or sequestration, of both defense and non-defense programs.
• Sequestration is required because the congressional Joint Select Committee on
Deficit Reduction, which was established by the law, failed to reach agreement
on a deficit reduction plan. Sequestration will take effect on Jan. 2, 2012.
• The Passage of the American Taxpayer Relief Act in January 2013 delayed
sequestration until March 1, 2013, and the overall amount of cuts was reduced
by $24 billion, equally divided between defense and non-defense programs.
• The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that if sequestration takes
effect on March 1, NDD programs would be cut more than $26 billion, which
results in an across-the-board cut of 5.1 percent. As a result fewer NIH grants
would be funded and CDC programs would be cut.

12. • Fight Colorectal Cancer will advocate
against sequestration for non-defense
discretionary programs, medical
research and prevention programs in
particular, as well as for a balanced
approach to deficit reduction.

13. Eliminating Cost Sharing for
Colorectal Cancer Screening
Colonoscopy
• Under current law, Medicare beneficiaries must pay a coinsurance when
their colorectal cancer screening colonoscopy also involves the removal
of polyps or other tissue. This policy is confusing to Medicare
beneficiaries and serves as a financial deterrent to this highly effective
method of colorectal cancer prevention.
Additionally, while current law also requires most private payers to cover
colorectal cancer screenings without cost sharing
(copays/coinsurance/deductible), current regulations have resulted in
private payers applying the cost sharing requirements differently. Some
private payers waive cost sharing when a screening involves the removal
of polyps or other tissue, others do not.
• Last year, Fight Colorectal Cancer was instrumental in the introduction of
legislation in the House (H.R. 4120) that would correct Medicare law, and
has lobbied the Department of HHS for a change in regulation.

14. • Fight Colorectal Cancer will seek
reintroduction of corrective legislation
and advocate for its passage in the
113th Congress and continue to lobby
for a change in private payer
regulations.

15. Fight Colorectal Cancer Stamp
Act
• Because funding for medical research through the NIH
has remained essentially flat, in 2010 Fight Colorectal
Cancer championed the introduction of the Colorectal
Cancer Stamp Act (H.R. 893).
This legislation would authorize the U.S. Postal Service
to sell a semipostal, or fundraising, stamp. A colorectal
cancer semipostal stamp will provide needed
supplemental funding for federal colorectal cancer
research and prevention programs without increasing
federal government spending.
Revenues raised from stamp sales would be
distributed to the DoD, CDC, and NIH.

16. • Support reintroduction and advocate
for passage of the Colorectal Cancer
Stamp Act in the House, with the
priority of also identifying a senator(s)
willing to introduce companion
legislation in the Senate

17. Chemotherapy Parity
• Many cancer patients have to pay significantly
more out of pocket for oral anti-cancer
treatments (e.g., pills) than they do for
intravenous treatments.
Legislation was introduced in the 112th Congress
that requires insurers that cover anticancer
medications that are intravenously administered
or injected to provide no less favorable coverage
for oral anticancer medications.
The Cancer Drug Coverage Parity Act was only
introduced in the House.

18. • Fight Colorectal Cancer will work with
stakeholder allies to achieve
reintroduction and advocate passage
of the Cancer Drug Coverage Parity
Act in the 113th Congress

19. Colorectal Cancer
Prevention, Early Detection, and
Treatment Act
• Fight Colorectal Cancer has been the impetus
behind introduction of the Colorectal Cancer
Prevention, Early Detection and Treatment Act.
This legislation would essentially expand and
improve upon the CRCCP.
The bill is authorizing legislation, which means
that even if the legislation is enacted into
law, funding to implement the law would still
need to be appropriated. In the 112th
Congress, the bill had the support of 30
cosponsors in the House and four in the Senate.

20. • Fight Colorectal Cancer will support
the reintroduction of the bill in the
113th Congress.

21. Colorectal Cancer Awareness
Month Proclamation
• President George W. Bush was the last
president to issue a proclamation declaring
March as Colorectal Cancer Awareness
Month.
Prior to then, President Bill Clinton issued a
proclamation in 2000 following the passage
of a resolution in the Senate requesting that
he designate March 2000 as National
Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and to
issue a proclamation.

22. • Pursue introduction of a resolution in the
House and Senate that would call upon the
president to issue a proclamation declaring
March 2013 as National Colorectal Cancer
Awareness Month.
Introduction of the resolution would be a
priority in the Senate, as the House has not
been inclined as of the 112th Congress to
consider resolutions on the House floor.

23. Resources
• Fight Colorectal Cancer Advocacy
Tools
– http://fightcolorectalcancer.org/advocate
_toolbox
– http://advocacy.fightcrc.org/site/PageSer
ver
– http://fightcolorectalcancer.org