E. Anders Kolb, MD President and CEO,
"In May, I shared my grave concerns about a House-passed bill that could lead to at least 15 million people losing health insurance coverage. I’m deeply disappointed to report that Congress has now passed a final version that could lead to 17 million losing health insurance coverage. Last Friday, President Trump signed the bill into law.
We’re already hearing concerns from patients and caregivers who know intimately how critical health coverage can be. It’s often the difference between getting treatment and going without. Several studies confirm their experiences: people without health insurance and those with interruptions in coverage have worse outcomes. As an organization, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is committed to helping patients navigate these changes individually—while mitigating their impacts on a macro level.
Congress’s plan to decrease federal healthcare spending means that millions more people would find themselves without health insurance. This law is misguided, as it considers only one side of the equation: expenditures. But it does not account for liabilities.
Decreased access to care—a side effect of this law—would mean patients are diagnosed less quickly, leading to longer treatments, higher costs, and worse outcomes. This will not only threaten lives but also put increased pressure on the healthcare system, especially rural hospitals.
By disrupting care for millions of Americans, Congress did not take a scalpel to the budget—it’s more of a sledgehammer. Such broad targeting focuses on the dollars that will be saved, while not considering the entire picture. Failure as a nation to provide adequate healthcare for all will cost us more in the long run, not only in dollars and cents but also in birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and in precious time with loved ones.
I want to express my deep gratitude to blood cancer advocates who shared their concerns about this bill with members of Congress. Although this wasn’t the outcome we hoped for, your calls, emails and in-person meetings made a difference. You were successful in preventing the even deeper cuts that lawmakers considered throughout the past six months. For example, in the last hours of Senate consideration, you helped beat back an attempt to completely wind down the Medicaid expansion (which 16 million Americans rely on for coverage). You also stopped policies that would have dramatically decreased pediatric Medicaid enrollment and further increased state Medicaid funding cuts.
LLS will never stop fighting to ensure all patients have access to the care they need. We are committed to engaging at the federal and state levels to mitigate the damage and to continue defending vital health insurance programs. Patients deserve better."
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