I’m glad Vice President Joe Biden was in Seattle recently talking about curing cancer; we are making progress. Death rates have decreased 22 percent since 1991, and five-year survival rates have dramatically increased — 80 percent can be attributed to new treatments.

A major problem, however, is that insurance companies often single out medicines for specific chronic conditions by delaying access or making claims difficult. This discriminates against the patients who need insurance coverage the most, and often increases long-term costs for patients.

More than 300 patient advocacy groups, including the AIDS Institute, the American Lung Association, Easter Seals, the Epilepsy Foundation and others, collectively wrote a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services calling pricing policies that target specific diseases “highly discriminatory against patients with chronic health conditions.” When asked if insurance companies were discriminating against sick patients, Mike Kreidler, state insurance commissioner, said, “there is no question.” While we continue to look for new innovative treatment breakthroughs with the #CancerMoonshot, let’s make sure insurance companies are providing patients the treatments they need to save their lives.

Colette Dow

Issaquah