Federal Public Policy Initiatives

Expand Medicare coverage of genetic counseling, testing, cancer screening & prevention

February 2025 - Medicare covers genetic testing only for people already diagnosed with cancer. For those with an inherited mutation causing increased cancer risk, many screenings and risk-reducing interventions are not covered. FORCE is spearheading legislation to modify the Medicare statutes to allow coverage of these potentially life-saving services.

November 2024 - Under the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program’s narrow Orphan Drug Exclusion provision, an orphan drug is excluded from price negotiation only if it is approved to treat one rare disease. Much of the rare cancer development pipeline and the progress over the last 40 years has relied on identifying additional uses for existing drugs that could address the unmet needs of patients living with rare cancers or conditions. The ORPHAN Cures Act will remedy this issue.

February 2024 - U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations guide the use of many health screenings and determine which preventive services are available to patients at no cost under the Affordable Care Act. FORCE submitted comments in response to the recently published draft USPSTF BRCA screening research plan. Once finalized, the latest studies will be analyzed and the guidelines will be updated accordingly.

August 30, 2023 – Today, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) notified FORCE that the recommendations on the Prevention of Lynch Syndrome-Related Cancer cannot "move into the final research plan stage and evidence review at this time.” While not directly stated, it appears that the Task Force is under-resourced and doesn’t currently have the capacity to develop the guidelines.

August 21, 2023 - Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will keep the billing codes for flap breast reconstruction surgeries. This means every woman will have access to advanced breast reconstruction options like DIEP and GAP flap. The decision was in response to a coordinated effort by multiple stakeholders. Our voices collectively came together, and CMS listened!

FORCE Submits Comments to the USPSTF

June 6, 2023 - The USPSTF recently proposed new breast cancer screening guidelines suggesting that individuals at average risk of breast cancer start mammograms at age 40, but only recommend screening every 2 years. We believe the recommendations will worsen health disparities, lead to confusion, and cost lives.
Read our comments.