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Pallone Introduces Bill to Provide Medicare to Late Stage Cancer Patients

September 21, 2004

Washington, D.C. --- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) today introduced legislation that will provide Medicare coverage to patients without health coverage who are diagnosed with late stage cancer.

Currently, patients must wait two years before they are eligible for Medicare, many of which do not survive long enough to reach eligibility. Pallone's legislation will lift the waiting period, allowing terminally ill cancer patients without health coverage to immediately begin receiving Medicare.

"Cancer is a horrible disease affecting too many Americans every year. Currently, these horrors are exacerbated by a lack of health care coverage for many Americans in the late stage of their battles," said the New Jersey congressman. "We can no longer abandon cancer patients nearing the end of their lives and must provide care when it is needed most."

The issue was first brought to Pallone's attention by Betty Gallo, founder of the Dean and Betty Gallo Prostate Cancer Center at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) in New Brunswick. Located in Pallone's congressional district, the Gallo Center performs world-renowned prostate cancer research and care. The Gallo Center is named for Betty's husband, former New Jersey Congressman Dean A. Gallo, who lost his life to prostate cancer in 1994.

"I want to thank Betty Gallo and the Gallo Center for working with me on this legislation to ensure that Medicare coverage is available to cancer patients who truly need it," said Pallone. "Researchers at the Gallo Center, CINJ, and other cancer centers throughout the world are working to diminish cancer's hold on our citizens. Until we find a cure, we must not exacerbate the anguish of those losing their personal battles with cancer."

"I would like to thank Congressman Pallone for sponsoring this important piece of legislation that will effect late stage cancer patients and assure them Medicare coverage," said Betty Gallo. "It was due to a small group made up of cancer survivors and people who have been touched by cancer called the CINJ Advocacy Commission, which I chair. They met with Congressman Pallone and he shared their concern and compassion for this issue that led to his sponsoring this bill. We, the advocates, can make a difference! Congress does listen!"

Each year 1 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed and over half a million Americans die of the disease. The survival rate for many late stage cancers is less than five years with proper care. Roughly 7 percent of all cancer patients have no health insurance and those too sick to work often lose their benefits. Current law requires terminally ill patients to receive two years of Social Security Disability benefits before being eligible for Medicare. Patients without health coverage and proper care rarely live to see their 24th month of those benefits.