National Brain Tumor Society Statement on House AHCA Vote

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted by a narrow margin (217-213) to approve the American Health Care Act (AHCA).

In response, the National Brain Tumor Society’s (NBTS) Chief Executive Officer, David Arons, released the following statement:

“National Brain Tumor Society has significant concerns that the current version of the AHCA does not go far enough to maintain protections for individuals, including all brain tumor patients and survivors, with “pre-existing conditions.” Further, we are concerned that a number of the essential health benefits (EHBs) that were provided through the Affordable Care Act will no longer be adequately covered. These EHBs, pre-existing conditions protections and prohibitions on lifetime coverage caps are all vital to brain tumor patients, who typically require expansive and costly medical care starting at the point of diagnosis and continuing throughout the remainder of their lives.

Therefore, NBTS is opposed to the AHCA in its current form and urge members of the Senate to work together to ensure that any final version of this legislation ultimately provides the necessary safeguards that brain tumor patients require, including affordable and adequate access to highly-specialized services spanning medical imaging, surgical procedures, pathology and diagnostic tests, hospitalization, prescription drug coverage, and rehabilitative services.

Brain tumor patients across the country deserve affordable access to critical healthcare services, whether they are currently able to work or not. We again ask the Senate to take into account the millions of patients across the country who are diagnosed with costly and life-threatening illnesses, through no fault of their own, before taking up this bill.”

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