WASHINGTON, DC – The American Society of Clinical Oncology presented Representative Kevin Yoder (KS-03) with the 2018 Congressional Leadership Award today. Each year, ASCO presents this Award to a Member of Congress who has continuously supported legislation that promotes an improved practice environment for the oncology community and improves the quality of care for cancer patients.

“Representative Yoder has been a stalwart ally to oncologists and their patients,” said ASCO President Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO. “We applaud Representative Yoder’s unwavering leadership in advancing key cancer-related policy priorities.”

A member of the House Appropriations Committee and Co-Chair of the House Cancer Caucus, Rep. Yoder has worked tirelessly over the last three years to build support for sustainable funding increases for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Cancer Institute (NCI). He signed the Dear Colleague Letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in October 2017, which called for a correction to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) score adjustment to ensure the score is not applied to Part B Drug payments. The issue, of great concern to oncology practices throughout the U.S., was resolved in February 2018, thanks in part to Rep. Yoder’s leadership.

Rep. Yoder continues to demonstrate his support for individuals with cancer through co-sponsorship of the Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access and Research (STAR) Act of 2017 (H.R. 820), the Palliative Care, Hospice, Education, and Training Act (H.R. 1676), the Cancer Drug Parity Act (H.R. 1409), and the Restoring Patient’s Voice Act of 2017 (H.R. 2077).

"Cancer knows no political parties or regional boundaries – it affects us all,” says Rep. Yoder. “For that reason, one of my top priorities since I have been in Congress is to ensure our researchers have every tool they need to find a cure for this deadly disease. I have made it a goal to double the National Institutes of Health’s funding over the next decade to save lives and dramatically reduce medical costs. Thank you to advocates from groups like the American Society of Clinical Oncology who walk through my door to discuss our shared goals of increased NIH funding and eradicating this horrible disease.”

Dr. Bertagnolli presented the award to Rep. Yoder during ASCO’s Advocacy Summit, where ASCO volunteers from across the United States came to Capitol Hill to educate lawmakers about critical issues affecting patients with cancer and their providers.

Follow the hashtag #ASCOAdvocacySummit on Twitter to see and share photos and updates from the Summit. Bookmark ASCO in Action to stay up-to-date on all of ASCO’s advocacy efforts.