[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 172 (Thursday, September 5, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 72283-72284]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-20122]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 172 / Thursday, September 5, 2024 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 72283]]
Proclamation 10796 of August 30, 2024
National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, 2024
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Too many Americans know the pain of losing a mother,
sister, wife, daughter, or friend to ovarian cancer--
the deadliest of all female reproductive system
cancers. This year alone, nearly 20,000 women will be
diagnosed with this terrible disease. During National
Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, we honor the memories
of all the women we have tragically lost. We reaffirm
our support for all the brave women living with ovarian
cancer and all those who have survived it. And we thank
their loved ones, who stand loyally by their side, and
the medical researchers, health care providers, and
caretakers who fight tirelessly to save lives every
day.
In our decades-long fight to find cures for cancers,
scientists have made incredible breakthroughs and
discovered better ways to prevent, detect, and treat
them. But for ovarian cancer, in particular, there
remains no reliable method for asymptomatic screening
and detection, which can delay a diagnosis until the
cancer has become deadly. Even after a diagnosis has
been made, the flood of medical information,
appointments, procedures, and financial expenses is
overwhelming. And too often, families, caregivers, and
patients are left to advocate for themselves for
effective care.
Jill and I know from personal experience that a cancer
diagnosis takes a severe toll on the whole family. That
is why I made fighting cancer a top priority for our
Administration. I reignited the Biden Cancer Moonshot
with the goal of cutting the cancer death rate by at
least 50 percent over 25 years and improving the
experience of patients and loved ones. I established
the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health,
securing $4 billion in bipartisan funding to support
scientists, innovators, and public health professionals
who are pioneering efforts to prevent, detect, and
treat cancer and other life-threatening and life-
altering diseases. And we delivered new reimbursement
codes so that, for the first time ever, families facing
cancer can get patient navigation services paid for
through Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance.
Cancer navigation services are personalized assistance
to patients, caregivers, and families to help guide
them through the many decisions and challenges that
come with a cancer diagnosis, which has been shown to
reduce cancer disparities, improve health outcomes, and
make an enormous difference in people's lives.
My Administration has also been working hard to make
cancer treatments more affordable. I am proud to
strengthen Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
by expanding health care coverage to millions of
Americans--saving millions of families $800 per year on
health insurance premiums. And through the Inflation
Reduction Act, we are capping total out-of-pocket
prescription drug costs for seniors and others with
Medicare at $2,000 per year--including for ovarian
cancer medications, which can cost more than $10,000
per year.
Additionally, because early detection is essential to
beating ovarian cancer, my Administration is working to
ensure that every American can access life-saving
cancer screenings. During my first year in office, we
expanded coverage under the ACA, which requires
insurers to pay for recommended cancer screenings and
primary care visits. I encourage all women to discuss
[[Page 72284]]
risk factors with their doctors and remain vigilant
against symptoms. Experts recommend that patients with
a personal or family history of breast or ovarian
cancer--or whose ancestry is associated with harmful
gene variants--discuss risk factors with their doctors
to see if genetic counseling and testing is
appropriate.
During National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, let us
resolve to doing all we can together to provide
patients, survivors, and their families the treatments,
care, and support they need and deserve. Let us
rededicate ourselves to the urgent work of increasing
awareness about ovarian cancer so that we can save more
lives more quickly. And let us never lose hope or waver
in our resolve to ending cancer as we know it--for all
the lives lost and all those we can still save.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 2024
as National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. I call upon
the people of the United States to speak with their
doctors and health care providers to learn more about
ovarian cancer. I encourage citizens, government
agencies, private businesses, nonprofit organizations,
the media, and other interested groups to increase
awareness of what Americans can do to detect and treat
ovarian cancer.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirtieth day of August, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
ninth.
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2024-20122
Filed 9-4-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P