“Rifle Shot” Bill Could Lead to Advancements in Mesothelioma Cancer Treatment

October 12, 2009

Harry Reid, the democratic leader for Nevada, is looking to reap federal reimbursements for Nevada Cancer Institute. As a part of the health care overhaul, four cancer centers will be eligible to receive financial assistance from the government.

Congress is beginning to move past the big policy ideas such as universal coverage and a public insurance option, and zoning in on more specific topics. This bill proposed is referred to as a “rifle shot” in Congressional jargon for its specificity and narrowness. This health bill proposal would provide more favorable Medicare payment rates to only a few specific medical facilities.

As a textbook “rifle shot” bill, this health proposal masks the beneficiaries by using a distinct code: specific dates they received “comprehensive cancer center” grants from the National Cancer Institute. Therefore covering “certain hospitals” if they received N.C.I comprehensive cancer care designation on July 27, 1978 (Karmanos Cancer Center), February 17, 1998 (University Hospitals in Cleveland), and June 13, 2000 (Cancer Institute of New Jersey).

Three of the four facilities that will benefit include University Hospital which are under construction in Cleveland, the esteemed Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey with its affiliate, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

The fourth is the four-year-old Nevada institute that has not yet reached a national reputation. With the exception of the Nevada clinic, these clinics are among some 40 “comprehensive cancer centers”, gaining their status from grants received as well as a designation from the government’s National Cancer Institute.

The fourth cancer center that is covered is “designated on June 10, 2003, as the official cancer institute of its state.” That marked the day the Nevada Legislature assigned the title to the Nevada Cancer Institute, which was then under construction.

This proposal would exempt these specific centers from the Medicare “prospective payments” system, which compensates hospitals on diagnoses rather than treatment. This detail would increase the center’s income and add cost to the taxpayers.

Given the high cost for cancer treatment, the exemption will allow hospitals to place more focus on the treatment regimes. The 10 out of 40 hospitals with this exemption have a serious competitive advantage.

This exemption will make it possible for these hospitals to place adequate focus on treatment without concern of financial consequences of government reimbursement. Certain types of cancer rely on a strict treatment regime, such as mesothelioma cancer. Often diagnosed in later stages, proper treatment is crucial to the patient’s health.

Mesothelioma cancer is a type of cancer caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers. These tiny fibers attack the mesothelium, which lines the body’s organs. Its symptoms are often similar to that of bronchitis or influenza, which makes the diagnosis difficult to identify. The development of mesothelioma typically takes anywhere from 20-50 years to detect, causing the cancer to be in its later stages of development.

The aggressiveness of mesothelioma requires an extreme treatment regime such as radiation, chemotherapy and surgery. This “rifle shot” bill will provide adequate treatment and attention to those battling various types of cancers such as mesothelioma.

These four clinics game much needed financial support and attention, more focus will be available for the patients who rely on these hospitals daily.