BY METAvivor Advocacy Team
Dear METAvivor Advocates,
Greetings from your METAvivor Advocacy team! This month, we’ve continued our strong advocacy on your behalf, monitoring key legislative and budget developments, joining coalitions to amplify your voice, and communicating with congressional offices to ensure the unique needs of the metastatic breast cancer (MBC) community are represented. Here is your June advocacy update.
Congress Passes Sweeping Legislation Impacting Healthcare Access
On July 4, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law following a dramatic vote in Congress. The bill passed the House by a narrow 218–214 margin and required Vice President JD Vance to cast the tie-breaking vote in the Senate. This sweeping legislation includes historic cuts to healthcare and social programs that could significantly impact people living with metastatic breast cancer.
Among the most concerning provisions is a $1 trillion cut to Medicaid, which the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates will result in 17 million people losing health coverage by 2034. The law also ends enhanced ACA premium tax credits after 2025, which will increase costs for patients who rely on marketplace plans to stay insured during treatment. Additionally, the bill imposes nationwide Medicaid work requirements starting in 2027 for individuals ages 19 to 64. While some patients may qualify for exemptions, the new rules could introduce administrative hurdles that lead to delays or loss of coverage.
The bill also terminates Medicare eligibility for many immigrants with lawful status who have paid into the system for decades, further reducing access to coverage and care. With Medicaid responsible for more than 70% of Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS), shifting long-term care costs to states under this law could lead to cuts in services critical to individuals managing serious illness. It also blocks Medicaid funding to providers that offer abortions, including for unrelated services like cancer screenings, contraception, and STI testing, putting nearly 200 clinics at risk of closure across 24 states.
While the law includes a $5 billion break for pharmaceutical companies by expanding exemptions to Medicare drug price negotiations for rare disease therapies, this change raises broader concerns about rising treatment costs over time. METAvivor will continue monitoring implementation of this law and advocate for protections to ensure individuals with MBC don’t lose access to life-sustaining care.
Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act
As of July 7, the Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act (H.R. 2048) has 105 bipartisan cosponsors. This critical bill would eliminate the waiting periods for SSDI and Medicare eligibility for individuals diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. We continue to promote and track support for this legislation and other federal policy changes that may impact access to care for the MBC community.
Coalition and Capitol Hill Engagement
In mid-June, METAvivor submitted written testimony to the Senate Labor Health and Human Services Appropriations subcommittee following their hearing on the FY26 Health and Human Services budget with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. We expressed our deep concern about the implications of proposed funding cuts and reorganization of the National Institutes of Health.
We also continued to participate in several key coalitions, including the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research and One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC). These alliances help strengthen our collective advocacy, particularly in response to the proposed NIH cuts and restructuring. We co-signed letters urging Congress to reject the 38% proposed cut to NIH and to support a transparent, public process before advancing any major structural changes to the agency, as well as We encouraging the Appropriations Committees to assist in getting out the FY25 grant funding that is currently pending at NIH and CDC and to support robust funding in FY26. These efforts ensure that the voice of the MBC community is included in broader conversations about the future of medical research funding and access.
As always, we are closely tracking policy developments and working to ensure that the needs of people living with MBC remain a priority. Thank you for your continued support and engagement. Your voice fuels this advocacy, and we are proud to represent you in these critical policy discussions.
Sincerely,
The METAvivor Advocacy Team
