Sen. Scott behind patient access legislation

Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Richard Burr (R-NC), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced the Patient Access to Cellular Transplant (PACT) Act. The bill is designed to protect access to bone marrow and cord blood transplants for Americans on Medicare and better align payment policies for hospitals that treat seniors with different types of blood cancers, like leukemia, lymphoma, and sickle cell disease. “We owe it to folks with sickle cell disease and other rare blood-related diseases to remove barriers in the Medicare reimbursement system that make it difficult for many Americans to access the care they need to live,” said Senator Scott. “The PACT Act will make it easier for them to receive these curative treatments.” Currently, Medicare does not adequately cover the cost of providing bone marrow or cord blood transplants to its recipients. As a result, transplant centers across the country are losing thousands of dollars on each Medicare beneficiary they treat with this curative therapy.