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Congress·In Committee·12 months ago

Congress Proposes Ending Waiting Periods for Disability and Medicare for Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients

Also known as: Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act

Legislative Progress

✓ Filed
Review
House
Senate
President

Impact Analysis

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Key Points

  • This bill would remove the mandatory waiting periods for people diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer to receive federal help. Currently, most people with disabilities must wait five months for monthly cash benefits and two years for Medicare health insurance coverage.
  • Under this plan, patients with this advanced stage of cancer would get their disability payments and Medicare coverage immediately after they are approved. This ensures they do not lose precious time while dealing with a terminal illness that requires urgent care.
  • The goal is to reduce the financial and medical stress on families. Because metastatic breast cancer has spread to other parts of the body and is life-threatening, supporters argue that patients cannot afford to wait months or years for the support they need.
  • This change would treat metastatic breast cancer the same way the government currently treats Lou Gehrig’s disease. If the bill becomes law, it would apply to all new applications for disability benefits filed after the law is signed.
HealthcareEconomy Finance

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Mar 11, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Mar 11, 2025

Introduced in House

Related News

2 articles
WXXI News·4 months ago

Advocates say a New York congresswoman is blocking care for people with incurable breast cancer

The Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act would waive the five-month waiting period for SSDI and the 24-month delay for Medicare. Advocates argue patients cannot afford to wait that long for a disease with an average survival of two to four years.

CL~
The Hill·almost 3 years ago

The government must act now to improve the lives of people with terminal breast cancer

In March, the Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act was re-introduced to both the U.S. House and Senate. This legislation would waive the 5-month and 24-month waiting periods for eligible people with stage IV breast cancer to access Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicare.

C+

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act

Bill NumberHR 2048
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(212)
D: 153R: 59

Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.