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| Staff from several Texas chapters of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society meeting with Senator Ted Cruz during the 2014 Mission Days trip to Washington DC. |
I wanted to work for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) because the mission means so much to me: cure blood cancers and improve
quality of life for those affected by them.
Just last year, LLS invested $79.8 million in research to find a cure. My
world focuses primarily on the second half of our mission. I work every day
with healthcare providers, community partners, patients, and their families to
improve the quality of those lives touched by blood cancer. However, what you may not know is that my
role falls under the office of public policy.
Advocacy and the political landscape is a critical part of ensuring a
good quality of life for patients during and after their treatment. While every person
and story are unique, there are systemic issues that affect all of them.
The LLS Office of
Public Policy works to create a system that supports and guides people through
their cancer journeys. Our work in this
area includes ensuring patients have an adequate network of providers and
services, protecting patients from high out-of-pocket costs, preserving
Medicare Part D provisions for prescription drug coverage, working with the FDA
and other key stakeholders to ensure timely access to life-saving drugs, and
ensuring that the voice of blood cancer patients is well-represented throughout
the legislative process.
LLS recently testified
before a committee in the US House of Representatives on the importance of
providing meaningful insurance coverage to people with pre-existing
conditions. Other accomplishments
include eliminating Oregon’s two year waiting period for transplants for
previously uninsured patients in the state health exchange, and leading
coalitions in six states to pass oral parity bills that ensure patients taking
oral medicines aren’t required to pay more than those getting
physician-administered therapies.
If removing barriers
to equitable access and creating a strong system of support for blood cancer
patients matters to you, then you should join our advocacy network. So many great accomplishments have been made
one email or phone call at a time.
Letting your representatives know that you support the rights of blood
cancer patients has never been easier.
Sign up for our advocacy network here today: http://advocacy.lls.org/signup_page/signup To see
more ways LLS is taking action today check out our legislative action center: http://advocacy.lls.org/p/dia/action/public/
Together we can, are,
and will continue to, make a difference.
Your advocate,
Seetha
_______________________________________________________________________________
Seetha Modi is the Patient Access Manager of the North Texas Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and author of this monthly blog series. She has an Masters in Public Health and has experience working with varied aspects of the healthcare industry, including hospitals, the CDC and other health-related nonprofit organizations.
Contact Seetha:
Seetha.Modi@lls.org
(972) 996-5905
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