BUFFALO, N.Y. — Cancer survivors and health care providers rallied in Niagara Square in Buffalo on Wednesday to ask that Gov. Kathy Hochul sign legislation to allow for better access to biomarker testing.
Biomarker testing is testing that can help doctors come up with a personalized plan if you are diagnosed with cancer. It looks for genes and proteins that can give your medical team more information about which type of cancer treatment is best for you.
These tests are widely available, but the people who want the governor to sign this legislation say the cost, if it's not covered by insurance, can stand in the way.
Kenneth Schlosser is a Stage IV lung cancer survivor and says he was here Wednesday because his medical team recommended biomarker testing.
"Eight pills a day for four-and-a-half years, now my tumor has stayed stable. Basically, I have no evidence of disease and I'm extremely grateful, but this opportunity should be given to a lot of other individuals," Schlossers said.
Schlosser's insurance wouldn't cover the testing, which typically costs a few hundred dollars, but a local health care foundation stepped up to help. Now he's paying it forward by advocating for the governor to sign the biomaker testing bill.
Schlosser was joined Wednesday morning by several survivors who say biomarker testing saves lives.
"When you hear cancer, you hear that word, you think that it's the end of your story, and that's where I was until luckily, the second opinion I got, the doctor said to me, if this was five years ago, that's where we would be, but today because of the new treatment options we have, because of biomarker testing, you have a chance," said Joseph Cantafio, a cancer survivor.
They say their stories should not be unique, and many doctors from Western New York agree.
"More than half of the new drugs that get approved today are associated with a biomarker test. In other words, if you do not have that particular biomarker, you're not going to get access to that drug. But if you also do not do the testing, you'll never know whether you have access to that drug," said Dr. Carl Morrison, Chair of the Department of Pathology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Dr. Morrison says the tests are widely available, but thinks insurance companies and Medicare should pay for them and that this bill would help make that happen.
"How do we get the payers to pay for biomarker testing? Reimbursement in medical coverage," Dr. Morrison said.
2 On Your Side asked the Governor's office whether she plans to sign this bill into law. A spokesperson told 2 On Your Side Wednesday afternoon, "Governor Hochul is reviewing the legislation."
The deadline for the governor to sign the bill is the end of the year.