US Pres. Biden to Roll Out 'National Cancer Plan'

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Facts

  • According to US Health and Human Services officials (HHS), federal health administrators are rolling out a new 'National Cancer Plan' as part of the framework for Pres. Joe Biden's Cancer Moonshot initiative, with the goal of cutting the cancer death rate in the US by 50% within 25 years.1
  • According to a White House fact sheet, the president and First Lady Jill Biden are also announcing a call to action on cancer screening to jumpstart progress that was reportedly lost during the pandemic.2
  • The proposal, which offers a glimpse at the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) plan of action, was developed with input from inside and outside of government and outlines eight goals, including early detection, developing effective treatments, and eliminating inequities.1
  • The White House also harped on progress already made over the past 20 years, including the development of immunotherapies, vaccines,  low-dose CT scans and refined use of colonoscopies, and the successful campaign against tobacco use.2
  • Cancer Moonshot was originally launched in 2016 under former Pres. Barack Obama, who handed it over to Biden — then-vice president. The project was relaunched last year.3
  • The NCI's national program — created by the 1971 National Cancer Act — will be in charge of the plan in coordination with various players, including governmental, private sector, academic, philanthropic, and patient advocacy partners.4

Sources: 1Axios, 2The white house, 3The american independent and 4Hhs.gov.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Poynter. The Moonshot plan, correctly termed for its similar ambitiousness to the 1960s goal of landing on the moon, is focused on the right things. As over 9M people miss their cancer screening appointments each year, focusing on diagnosis is the most important first step, and this latest plan will go a long way in reducing that number.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Politico. While a lofty goal, the Moonshot program is futile unless Congress can approve hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for modern cancer research, including in the fields Biden has placed his focus on, which are prevention and screening. There are departments devoted to researching complex medical issues, such as ARPA-H, though that, too, requires billions in Congressional funding, calling into question the practicability of the project.

Predictions