‘Cancer Doesn’t Care’: Volunteer Lobbying Gets Beyond Ugly Washington Politics

When the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network held its annual Citizen Lobbying Day in Washington last month, more than 500 volunteers pushed members of Congress to keep cancer research and cancer support at the top of the nation’s health care agenda.

This came as Democrats and Republicans in Washington headed toward a budget impasse over a budget extension Enhance subsidies Which helps millions of people maintain Affordable Care Act coverage.

But these volunteers transcended politics.

Mary Katherine Johnson is a retired small business owner from outside Rochester, New York. I voted for Donald Trump three times.

Lexi Milling, who worked in a doctor’s office, is from Long Island. It’s a democracy.

But the two women share a bond: They are both breast cancer survivors.

“No one here discussed whether you were a Democrat or a Republican,” said Milling, one of 27 volunteers from New York. “Cancer doesn’t care.”

Each volunteer has been affected in one way or another by cancer, which is expected to kill More than 600,000 People in the United States this year.

Johnson said each of her mother’s 10 siblings died of cancer. She said she was concerned about today’s political situation. “I think we’re probably the most divided we’ve ever been,” she said. “It scares me. It scares me for my grandchildren.”

Americans are already divided on many issues — immigration, guns, and President Trump.

After in One recent poll7 in 10 voters said it is very important for the federal government to fund medical research. This included a majority of Democrats and Republicans.

“Almost everyone in this country knows someone who has cancer,” said Garrett Lewis, a Republican pollster who conducted the survey of patient groups.

Modern KFF poll It found that three-quarters of US adults, including most Republicans who align with the Make America Great Again movement, want Congress to extend subsidies that help Americans buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces. KFF is a non-profit health information organization that includes KFF Health News.

These subsidies, which are critical for people with chronic diseases such as cancer, are a sticking point in the budget showdown in Congress.

The army of volunteers – from every state – struck 484 of the 535 House and Senate offices.

Not every visit was an unqualified victory. Many Republican lawmakers object to extending insurance subsidies, arguing that they are too expensive.

Lawmakers from both parties have supported increasing research funding and supporting more cancer screenings.

When evening fell, volunteers gathered on the National Mall for a candlelight vigil.

John Manna, another New Yorker, describes himself as a Reagan Republican whose father died of lung cancer. He thought about the lessons this day could offer a divided nation.

“Get to know each other as people, and then you can understand someone’s positions,” he said. “We have a few disagreements, but you know, we don’t attack each other. We talk.”