We lose more than 618,000 Americans to cancer every year. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 22,710 Iowans will be diagnosed with cancer in 2026, and an estimated 6,330 Iowans will die from the disease. We must do better, and multi-cancer early detection technology can help.
When it comes to cancer, the best way to save lives is to catch it earlier, before it has spread. But until now, we didn’t have the tools to find most cancers early. To address this challenge, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) led legislation that was signed into law this year by President Trump — the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act (MCED Act) — that establishes Medicare coverage for MCED screening tests, ensuring older adults can soon have access to cutting-edge diagnostics that can identify multiple cancers from a single test.
Multi-cancer early detection tests are groundbreaking because they use a standard blood draw to detect dozens of cancers — most of which have no screening available today.
“As a doctor, I’ve seen firsthand how early detection can change the trajectory of a patient’s life,” said Rep. Miller-Meeks. “This legislation ensures seniors have access to cutting-edge screening technologies that can detect cancer earlier, improve outcomes, and reduce suffering for patients and their families.”
Iowans on Medicare must have the opportunity to benefit from the newest technology in early cancer detection.
Call Rep. Miller-Meeks (202-225-6576) and thank her for her leadership in getting the MCED Act signed into law.
Explore more about MCED on our priority issues page.