HEiTC Exec Chair Al B. Sure!, Senior Advisor Rev. Al Sharpton Applaud BlueCross BlueShield of SC’s Coverage Affirmation for Life-Saving Transplant Blood Tests
Coalition continues the call for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to bridge the gap in coverage for Black and Brown transplant recipients
New York, NY – February 28, 2024 -- Global recording artist and Executive Director of the Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition (HEiTC) Al B. Sure! and Senior Advisor Rev. Al Sharpton applauded BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina for its decision to cover routine cell-free DNA testing for kidney and heart transplant patients. Their show of thanks comes as HEiTC continues to push the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to restore Medicare cuts to these life-saving tests, given their disproportionate impact on Black and Brown organ transplant recipients.
“These BC/BS-SC beneficiaries appreciate the ability to receive these surveillance blood tests from their homes,” the HEiTC leaders wrote in a letter to BC/BS-SC CEO Michael J. Mizeur. “Many cannot afford the expense of travel to a hospital to receive the tests. Nor do they wish to place their health in jeopardy by exposure in hospitals to ongoing flu and COVID-19 concerns. These tests are far less expensive and risky than surgical biopsies previously relied on to detect rejection. Your finding that these blood tests are medically ‘necessary’ sets an example for health care policy makers and program administrators across the nation.”
These lifesaving tests are critical to detect possible early signs of organ rejection, even before there are apparent clinical signs or symptoms, and enable medical intervention to protect the transplanted organ. Palmetto GBA, a private Medicare Administrative Contractor that runs the MolDX program under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, issued a controversial decision in March 2023 to scale back coverage on life-saving, non-invasive molecular blood tests. A bipartisan group of current and former lawmakers have urged an end to these cuts. In August, a bipartisan letter signed by 14 members of the House of Representatives, led by Reps. Anna Eschoo (D-CA) and Dr. Michael Burgess (R-TX), expressing concerns about the March rollbacks was sent to CMS and earlier this year, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Steven Horsford also raised this issue in a letter to CMS and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Organ transplant care is critical for Black, Hispanic and Latino Americans, who together represent 40 percent of transplants in the U.S. — well above the 32 percent of the general U.S. population. Additionally, Black Americans rank lowest in graft and patient survival among recipients of solid organ transplants, due in part to higher immunological risk leading to higher rejection rates, making blood tests a critical component of their post-transplant care. Compounding the issue, an astounding 50 percent of those on the 100,000 person transplant waiting list are Black or Hispanic/Latino, making access to transplantation and equitable post-transplant care an important and growing issue in this community.
The full text of the letter is below.
Dear Mr. Mizeur:
We write to you as leaders of the Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition (“HEiTC”), a coalition formed to promote health equity for transplant patients who are African American, Latino, and people of color.
We are writing to thank you for BC/BS-SC’s coverage, as reflected in policies issued in October 2023 and February 2024, of routine cell-free DNA testing for kidney and heart transplant patients that are BC/BS-SC’s beneficiaries. These tests are critical to detect possible early signs of organ rejection, even before there are apparent clinical signs or symptoms, and enable medical intervention to protect the transplanted organ. The tests are widely utilized for surveillance and have been covered by Medicare since 2017.
We especially thank you as an organization comprised of Black, Brown, and medically underserved transplant patients. These BC/BS-SC beneficiaries appreciate the ability to receive these surveillance blood tests from their homes. Many cannot afford the expense of travel to a hospital to receive the tests. Nor do they wish to place their health in jeopardy by exposure in hospitals to ongoing flu and COVID-19 concerns. These tests are far less expensive and risky than surgical biopsies previously relied on to detect rejection. Your finding that these blood tests are medically “necessary” sets an example for health care policy makers and program administrators across the nation.
We have issued a public statement to South Carolina media that expresses our appreciation to you and your company for your ongoing support of these beneficiaries. We are also copying US Senate and House members on both sides of the aisle who have supported continued Medicare coverage of these important blood tests for transplant patients covered under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In particular, we have copied Rep. Steven Horsford (D- NV) and Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY), the Chair and 1st Vice Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, who have both strongly supported Medicare coverage of surveillance testing and opposed any new CMS restrictions that would limit transplant patient access going forward.
We hope that both the transplant community and other BC-BS companies across the country take note of this important BC/BS-SC coverage decision and its importance to the communities and patients for whom we advocate.
Sincerely and gratefully,
Al B. Sure! Reverend Al Sharpton
Executive Chairman, HEiTC Senior Advisor, HEiTC
Cc: The Honorable Steven Horsford, Chairman, Congressional Black Caucus
The Honorable Yvette Clarke, 1st Vice Chair, Congressional Black Caucus
The Honorable Kirsten Gillibrand
The Honorable Anna G. Eshoo
The Honorable Michael C. Burgess, M.D. The Honorable Jefferson Van Drew
The Honorable Donald G. Davis
The Honorable Larry Bucshon, M.D.
The Honorable Katie Porter
The Honorable Nancy Mace
The Honorable Terri A. Sewell
The Honorable Maria Elvira Salazar
The Honorable Jason Crow
The Honorable Don Bacon
The Honorable Jerrold Nadler
The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton
The Honorable Stephen F. Lynch
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