Senior Citizen, Healthcare, and Consumer Advocates Send Letter Urging CMS to Rescind Local Coverage Determination

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Secure Our Care, a project of the 60 Plus Association, alongside the American Consumer Institute, the Association of Mature American Citizens, the Center for Individual Freedom, the Frontiers of Freedom Institute, the Hispanic Leadership Fund, and the Taxpayers Protection Alliance sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Acting Administrator Stephanie Carlton urging CMS to work in the best interests of America's cancer patients.

By rescinding the "Genetic Testing in Oncology" Local Coverage Determination (LCD) due to Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) operating outside of procedural requirements, CMS will ensure that America's seniors and those on Medicare have more control over their care. Importantly, it will increase access to testing options that improve patient care. The letter asked that the new administration conduct a fresh review of the relevant scientific data and issue its own determinations.

The coalition letter, signed by senior advocacy, taxpayer, and consumer groups pointed out that the current process has been corrupted by bureaucrats who have been left unaccountable to patients and the law, removing coverage and limiting future access to revolutionary testing. This has placed undue burdens on taxpayers, healthcare workers, and, most importantly, patients.

In the letter, the coalition raises serious concerns over what coverage denial means for innovation and treatment care in the United States. The coalition also notes that this determination is not the first time that lifesaving testing options have been taken away from patients ? leading them and their healthcare teams to turn to more invasive, and costly, options. This limits American innovations in technology and treatment, and worsens outcomes by relying on a one-size-fits-all option:

"If our nation wishes to be a leader in medical innovation, we must ensure those who most need it to access the latest advances in care," the letter stated.

"Early diagnosis and personalized treatment of cancer makes a dramatic difference in patient outcomes and survival rates. One-size-fits-all care sentences many seniors to unnecessary burden and suffering. This makes access to genetic testing for cancer critical and determinations that do not consider the scientific evidence ? like the ones made by Novitas and First Coast Service Options ? unjustifiable." 

The LCD is set to go into effect in April.

Read the full letter HERE.

Secure Our Care is a project of the 60 Plus Association, a leading nonpartisan seniors advocacy organization. Secure Our Care is working to improve access to healthcare for seniors by securing a strong, accessible, and transparent healthcare system. Learn more at SecureOurCare.org

SOURCE The 60 Plus Association