LEGISLATION
Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care
About The Act
The Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act (H.R. 549, S. 663) would amend Title II of the Social Security Act for those who are:
- under age 65 diagnosed with Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) – breast cancer that has spread from the breast to the bones, lungs or other distant parts of the body
- unable to work due to disability caused by MBC or its treatments.
Individuals diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer automatically qualify for disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) as long as they apply and meet the SSA’s technical qualifications.
For those who qualify, there is currently:
- a 5-month waiting period for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and
- a SUBSEQUENT 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage.
Women and men with metastatic breast cancer have an average life expectancy of three years and don’t have time to wait. People are dying while enduring great hardship due to these arbitrary waiting periods.
Background
In addition to those over the age of 65, eligibility for Medicare is available to those with disabilities and those with one of only two specific diseases — end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Individuals under age 65 with disabilities other than ESRD or ALS (including those with metastatic breast cancer) must have received Social Security Disability Insurance benefits for 24 months before becoming eligible for Medicare.
Federal Precedent
There is a federal precedent for the immediate access to care this bill would provide for metastatic breast cancer patients. In 2001 Congress passed a bill to add ALS as a qualifying condition for automatic Medicare coverage; in 2020, Congress waived the 5-month waiting period for SSDI benefits for individuals with ALS.
We believe, and hope you will agree, that our fellow citizens with metastatic breast cancer need and deserve the same immediate access to SSDI and Medicare.
Where We Stand
The bill currently has 265 co-sponsors in the House and 29 co-sponsors in the Senate from both sides of the aisle. Unfortunately, to date, only one Tennessee Representative, Steve Cohen, has signed on, and neither of our Senators has taken this step.
You can visit Congress’s website to find a listing of the Act's cosponsors by states and territories in both the House and the Senate.
TAKE ACTION
Urge your Congressional representative and senators to cosponsor the Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act. Use the National Breast Cancer Coalition's easy tool to identify and email your representatives.
"My life is ending. I don't have two years."
Hear from those who have been affected by Medicare and Social Security Disability Insurance waiting periods and learn how earlier access to benefits could have changed the rest of their lives – and learn how you can take action to help pass the bill.