American Cancer Society Honors Senator Anthony Portantino as Legislator of the Year
For Immediate Release: June 26, 2023
Contact: Lerna Shirinian, (818) 409-0400
American Cancer Society Honors Senator Anthony Portantino as Legislator of the Year
Duarte, CA –Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank) was honored with the Legislator of the Year Award by the American Cancer Society for authoring Senate Bill 987, a life-saving bill signed by Governor Newsom last year. SB 987 ensures a more equitable model of health care for cancer patients. SB 987 addresses significant disparities in cancer patient access by expanding Medi-Cal patient eligibility for necessary clinical expertise and resources.
“I am grateful and honored to receive the Legislator of the Year Award from the American Cancer Society,” stated Senator Portantino. “With advances in cancer science and more effective treatments, it is critical that we ensure all cancer patients have access to new science and technology that can improve health outcomes for patients and their families. I was proud to author SB 987 last year and push forward this life-saving cancer treatment proposal. It was a team effort and I want to thank everyone for their support.”
The CDC lists cancer as the second-leading cause of death in California. More than 187,000 Californians are diagnosed with cancer every year, and thousands of them will be misdiagnosed or placed on inappropriate or ineffective treatment.
SB 987, the California Cancer Care Equity Act, aims to improve cancer care access, cancer survival, and patient experience by enhancing Medi-Cal patient access to necessary clinical expertise and resources at NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. The bill parallels the current Medi-Cal coverage model that allows Medi-Cal beneficiaries to have access to certain life-saving care services at a Center of Excellence, even if that center is not included in the member’s provider network. Specifically, SB 987 expands the existing set of care diagnoses for which such enhanced access is provided and includes clinically necessary cancer care services such as genomic/genetic/transcriptomic/proteomic testing, clinical trials participation, and all necessary cancer-related outpatient and inpatient clinical care, defined episode of care.
SB 987 requires Medi-Cal managed care providers to inform enrollees of their eligibility to receive enhanced care and ensures primary care doctors in contract with those managed care providers inform enrollees with any information they need to decide between relevant treatment options. The bill also requires that decisions to approve, deny, or modify a patient’s request for optimal care are made within a 72-hour time window to shorten the window between diagnosis and treatment.
“The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network is proud to honor Senator Anthony Portantino as Legislator of the Year for his work on the California Cancer Care Equity Act, which will help more Medi-Cal patients with cancer have access to the full range of medical options available for their cancer,” said Autumn J. Ogden-Smith, California Legislative Director of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. “Senator Portantino has been a strong advocate for cancer patients over the years. His leadership on SB 987 will expand health equity to ensure that underrepresented patients will have the choice to engage with cancer subspecialists to receive clinically appropriate care including enrolling in clinical trials and innovative therapies without unnecessary and unfair barriers.”
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