性视界传媒

鈥淲e are above the average for the nation,鈥� Dr. Jorge Cortes, director of the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University, told legislators assembled at his university Wednesday, July 9. Cortes said Georgians are getting 鈥� and dying from 鈥� lung, prostate, breast and colorectal cancer at rates exceeding the national average.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Georgia, according to testimony from the state 性视界传媒 of Community Health (DCH). It is the number one killer of people ages 1-19, said Dr. Doug Graham, chief of the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children性视界传媒 Healthcare of Atlanta.

What can lawmakers do about it?

For one thing, they can knock down barriers to cancer screening.

At prior hearings of the House Study Committee on Cancer Care Access in May and June, they learned that cancer care is hard to come by in rural areas, as the medical payments system squeezes smaller service providers. Rising costs and inadequate transportation contribute to lack of access to care.

The later cancer is detected, the deadlier it gets. It also becomes costlier to treat, driving up health-care costs for everyone.

Lawmakers heard repeatedly about how medical industry consolidation is exacerbating lack of access by forcing patients to drive farther to find a specialist.

Dr. Harsha Vyas, who has a small medical office in Dublin, asked study committee members to address what he sees as a systemic problem in the pharmaceutical and insurance industries: pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e middlemen in the health-care system created by insurance companies,鈥� Vyas said. 鈥淭hey dictate all sorts of things they shouldn鈥檛 be dictating. 鈥� Just three PBMs control 80% of the drug market in the country. If that性视界传媒 not monopoly, I don鈥檛 know what else is.鈥�

Vyas said insurers have too much control over what doctors prescribe though a system called pre-authorization, and he said reimbursement rates for clinics like his are too low.

鈥淲e need to keep them accountable,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 call them to the table. 鈥淵ou guys can, and you鈥檝e got to ask them the tough questions.鈥�

No insurance companies were represented at the hearing, but a DCH staffer explained how Medicaid is managed in Georgia through contracts with management companies.

Graham, from Children性视界传媒 Healthcare, said cancer in children is connected with genetic syndromes, birth defects and maternal age. But there are other correlations that are within parents鈥� control: breastfeeding and maternal vitamins are associated with reduced child cancer risk.

Rep. Lee Hawkins, R-Gainesville, the committee性视界传媒 chairman, said he and other lawmakers are working on drug pricing and other issues. He wrapped up the committee性视界传媒 listening tour by saying the General Assembly will continue to study cancer care access.

鈥淚 think we鈥檙e just at the beginning and scratching the surface of what we can do,鈥� he said.