The Honorable Mike Crapo

U.S. Senator for Idaho

How has your experience as a prostate cancer survivor informed your approach to health policy, and your conviction that federal investment in cancer research, screening, and prevention saves lives?

Since coming to Capitol Hill, I have made combating cancer a top legislative priority. Losing a loved one to cancer, seeing others go through treatment, and going through treatment make the search for leading-edge treatment acutely personal. Thanks in part to sustained federal investments in research and care, we have seen remarkable progress in the past few decades, with game-changing improvements in screening, prevention, diagnostics, and treatments. As we continue that work, detecting more cancers at earlier stages will prove especially crucial.

This year, the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) Screening Coverage Act—legislation you championed for multiple Congresses—was signed into law, establishing a Medicare coverage pathway for multi-cancer early detection tests. What did reaching that milestone mean to you, and what impact do you hope it will have for patients, particularly seniors and those in rural states like Idaho?

Enactment of the MCED Screening Coverage Act is incredibly gratifying. Before, Medicare only covered preventive services explicitly authorized by Congress or recommended by the US Preventive Services Task Force. This meant many routine cancer screenings were not reimbursed, even though early detection of cancer is crucial in maximizing patient outcomes. According to the Idaho Medical Association, before passage, approximately 70 percent of cancer deaths were caused by cancers for which there were no covered screening tests. The MCED Screening Coverage Act establishes a pathway for Medicare coverage of MCED screenings once they are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, rather than waiting for a lengthy additional legislative or regulatory approval process, making these important tests accessible to many more patients.

While enactment of the MCED Screening Coverage Act provides significant progress in multi-cancer screening, what else are you working on to improve cancer care?

I am co-leading bipartisan legislation with Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) that would reauthorize the Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young (EARLY) Act through 2031. The current authorization, which I helped secure in the fiscal year 2021 government funding package, is set to expire this year. In June, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee advanced the legislation, which would ensure the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues campaigns to raise awareness of breast cancer risks among young women and encourage preventive care and early screening when appropriate. The law also supports research activities related to breast cancer prevention and educational efforts for physicians and other health care professionals involved in detecting and treating the disease. This legislation, like the MCED Screening Coverage Act, is part of my ongoing effort to align federal programs with preventive health goals aimed at reducing government expenditures on care and fostering a healthier nation.

MCED tests hold particular promise for identifying cancers that currently have no recommended screening test. Why is it so important to build coverage pathways for these emerging technologies, even as they continue to complement existing, guideline-recommended screening?

Cancer does not wait for regulatory processes and guidelines to catch up to it. Increasing access to proven screening tools will ensure many patients discover cancer when it is often most treatable. That holds tremendous promise for improving survival rates and driving down costs for patients, medical providers, and Medicare itself.

What is your message to the scientists, physicians, and researchers working every day to make progress against cancer?

Thank you. Scientific advancements have dramatically improved the country’s capabilities to treat cancer, among many other health care concerns. The scientists, physicians, and researchers who work patiently to test hypotheses and evaluate treatments, often starting over time and again in search of microscopic answers that carry enormous importance, are profoundly commendable. Your commitment, knowledge, curiosity, and drive save lives and fuel our country’s progress in the fight against cancer.