The meetings focused on drug pricing, access to clinical trials, Medicaid expansion and block grants, accelerated drug approval pathways, and other issues affecting people with cancer and their oncology care teams.

In particular, volunteers and stakeholders discussed ASCO’s priorities to increase access to clinical trials by expanding eligibility criteria and guaranteeing Medicaid coverage of routine care costs for clinical trial participants. They also discussed ASCO’s opposition to Medicaid block grants.

In a dozen meetings, volunteers met with leaders from:

• American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN)
• Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI)
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CMS CCSQ)
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMS CMCSC)
• Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC)
• National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD)
• National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS)
• Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)
• Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA)
• United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
• United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Support ongoing advocacy efforts by using the ASCO ACT Network, which allows members to send pre-drafted messages to representatives on issues important to the cancer community.

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