Letter to Xavier Becerra, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, Murphy and Other Tri-Caucus Members Send Letter to HHS Regarding Disparities in Cancer Care

Letter

December 21, 2021
The Honorable Xavier Becerra
Secretary, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, DC 20201
Dear Mr. Secretary:
As members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, we write to you to urge the Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS) to help close the health disparities in cancer care among
communities of color through early testing. Presently, there is a lifesaving multi-cancer early
detection (MCED) test that can screen for over fifty cancers but is currently only available to
patients who can afford to pay almost $1,000 for the test out of pocket. As communities of color
bear the disproportionate burden of cancer, we are hopeful your Department can help facilitate
increased access to this groundbreaking test for everyone.
According to the American Cancer Society, African Americans have the highest death rate and
shortest survival of any racial/ethnic group for most cancers in the United States. Having just
observed Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we are troubled by statistics that show Latina women
are measurably more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer at an advanced stage than white
women. Where heart disease is the leading killer of most ethnic communities, cancer is the
leading cause of death for Asian Americans.
There is no greater tool in fighting cancer than early detection. As we have seen with the few
cancers that do have widely available early detection tests--like cervical, breast, prostate, and
colorectal cancers--early detection identifies cancers while still local and potentially curable.
Early detection saves lives, yet underrepresented groups and communities of color often do not
have the same access to early detection as others. This is a critical health equity issue, and we
are asking HHS to help close the gap in access.
MCED testing has been broadly described as a "game-changer." Indeed, the one test currently
on the market has the ability to detect over fifty cancers through a single blood draw, and other
tests will likely become available in the coming years. President Biden's 2020 campaign
promise to cure cancer is within reach with early detection, but other regulatory bodies have been
erecting barriers to widespread access to current testing options by focusing primarily on issues
unrelated to health care and health disparities. Our communities do not have the luxury of
waiting for economic theories to be debated while we die preventable deaths. We commend the
President's commitment to investing $200 million in genomic testing as a response to the
COVID-19 pandemic and are turning to you in hopes of refocusing the discussion on how to get
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MCED testing to as broad a universe as possible, as soon as possible, regardless of race or
socioeconomic status.
We look forward to working with you to achieve this critical goal.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Murphy
Member of Congress
Ritchie Torres
Member of Congress
J. Luis Correa
Member of Congress
Alma S. Adams, Ph.D.
Member of Congress
Pete Aguilar
Member of Congress
Colin Allred
Member of Congress
Nanette Diaz Barragán
Member of Congress
Karen Bass
Member of Congress
Ami Bera, M.D.
Member of Congress
Anthony G. Brown
Member of Congress
Tony Cárdenas
Member of Congress
Andre Carson
Member of Congress
Troy A. Carter
Member of Congress
Joaquin Castro
Member of Congress
Yvette D. Clarke
Member of Congress
Henry Cuellar
Member of Congress
Veronica Escobar
Member of Congress
Adriano Espaillat
Member of Congress
Jesús G. "Chuy" García
Member of Congress
Sylvia R. Garcia
Member of Congress
Jimmy Gomez
Member of Congress
Vicente Gonzalez
Member of Congress
Al Green
Member of Congress
Jahana Hayes
Member of Congress
Steven Horsford
Member of Congress
Sheila Jackson Lee
Member of Congress
Sara Jacobs
Member of Congress
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Brenda L. Lawrence
Member of Congress
Barbara Lee
Member of Congress
Teresa Leger Fernandez
Member of Congress
Ted W. Lieu
Member of Congress
Lucy McBath
Member of Congress
Gregory W. Meeks
Member of Congress
Grace Meng
Member of Congress
Grace Napolitano
Member of Congress
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Member of Congress
Donald M. Payne, Jr.
Member of Congress
Scott Peters
Member of Congress
Deborah K. Ross
Member of Congress
Lucille Roybal-Allard
Member of Congress
Bobby L. Rush
Member of Congress
Linda T. Sánchez
Member of Congress
Darren Soto
Member of Congress
Marilyn Strickland
Member of Congress
Thomas R. Suozzi
Member of Congress
Juan Vargas
Member of Congress
Filemon Vela
Member of Congress
Bonnie Watson Coleman
Member of Congress