Affordable Care Act Increases Health Care Coverage For Cancer Survivors, Limits Early Detection

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Supreme Court today upheld the Affordable Care Act in its entirety, giving prostate cancer survivors continued access to affordable health insurance, but also putting early detection for the disease at risk due to the establishment of the United States Preventive Services Task Force as the federal entity responsible for establishing a required list of preventive services for which Medicare, Medicaid and insurance companies must pay.

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"While we support and welcome legislation that provides affordable health insurance options for prostate cancer survivors, we feel the law also limits access to early detection for diseases such as prostate cancer," said Skip Lockwood, CEO of ZERO – The End of Prostate Cancer.

Recently, the USPSTF changed their recommendation for prostate cancer to a grade of D.  This recommendation discourages men to get tested for prostate cancer and could ultimately lead to private insurance companies, Medicare, and Medicaid eliminating coverage of the PSA test.  The USPSTF's decision contradicts prostate cancer testing recommendations from medical and professional organizations, including the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and American Urological Association and puts American men at risk.

ZERO's continued focus for prostate cancer patients and survivors includes: USPSTF reform, increasing access to care and preventive services, maximization of covered treatment options for prostate cancer, and pre-existing condition exemption for prostate cancer survivors.

About ZERO — The End of Prostate Cancer (www.zerocancer.org)

As ZERO — The End of Prostate Cancer, we commit ourselves not only to reduce prostate cancer or alleviate the pain from the disease but to end it. We see a future where all men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer will be cured or manage their illness with good quality of life, with the support they need to minimize physical and emotional suffering and to cope effectively throughout their cancer journeys.

To accomplish our goal, we increase research funds from the federal government to find new treatments and we fund local grants to end prostate cancer through our national event series, the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge. We conduct free testing through the Drive Against Prostate Cancer mobile testing program and educate patients, families and those at risk.

SOURCE ZERO - The Project to End Prostate Cancer