A blog reader sent this to me, and I wanted to pass it on.
Hi Beth,
I follow your blog and thought you might be interested to know about a new initiative launched by a coalition of patient advocacy organizations during the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Led by the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF), MDS Foundation and the Tackle Myeloma Foundation (TMF), they unveiled a patient “Statement of Principles” to address the inequalities in reimbursement of cancer therapies.
Currently, Medicare and private insurance companies require higher deductibles and co-payments for oral drugs than for IV therapies and inpatient procedures. However, private insurance is regulated at the state level and Oregon, Indiana and Iowa have laws requiring equal coverage with similar legislation pending in several additional states and federal legislation introduced in Congress.
If you’re interested in learning more or signing the petition, you can check out the IMF or MDSF websites.
Best,
Allison
If you go to the IMF’s web site, you can read more about the Cancer Patient Statement of Principles. This was taken from their web site.
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About the eight lethal cancers
*Source: Cancer Facts & Figures 2009, American Cancer Society, Atlanta. 2009 Click here to support the Cancer Patient Statement of Principles. |
I am not a MM patient, but my mom is. She is in india. She was diagnosed with the disease in Aug’2000
She had undergone therapy. From 2004 onwards she was on thaloma, that made her very week. She was doing OK until recently, when she was put on brotizomib, which has made her so sick, and lose weight, 20 kgs (44 lbs approx.)
She did not receive any stem cell treatment. The reason I am writing here is, to know if the doctors missed some treatment for her?
Did anyone try brotizomib? I want to find out if that is going to do something bad to my mom, more than the cancer itself.
I was on bortezomib (Velcade) for 7 months in 2007. I had relatively few problems. What happened to your mom? What kind of side effects did she have? How old is your mom? Can she get Revlimid? Is SCT not being considered?
Dear MM friends,
I had no idea MM was one of the eight most deadly cancers. I have been fighting this disease for 2 1/2 yrs. I was diagnosed in beginning of 2007. My staging was at 3, than I had a stem cell transplant
Good to hear from you! How did you do with the SCT?
May I copy this and post it on my page? I think people (who don’t have cancer) should see things like this.
Yes, of course. Please do copy it.
The survival rate from pancreatic cancer certainly is chilling! But then the rate for myeloma hits so much closer to home, for now.
Sigh! I know. Very close. I always feel like the clock is ticking. I spent the entire day with my niece (10) and nephew (7), and enjoyed every minute of it. I want to always be here for them. If I can’t, I want them to have fond memories.