More people with cancer will be able to receive the support and guidance of patient navigators, thanks to the White House’s Cancer Moonshot. Specifically, seven major insurance companies are expanding coverage to include patient navigators, and over 40 comprehensive cancer centers and community oncology practices are taking steps (such as using updated navigation and billing codes) to ensure that patient navigation services are covered. What’s more, at the start of this year, Medicare began covering more navigation services.

 

“Navigators guide families through every step of their cancer journey,” notes the White House. “Navigators have been shown to improve health outcomes and the patient experience by reducing times between diagnosis and treatment and increasing treatment completion. These services also lower health care costs by reducing ER visits and hospitalizations and reduce health disparities, including by facilitating access to services to address unmet social determinants of health, such as food and housing insecurity and transportation needs.”

 

The Cancer Moonshot refers to health initiatives that Vice President Biden launched in 2016 and that the Biden-Harris administration reignited in 2022.

 

It’s estimated that more than 2 million people will be diagnosed with cancer in 2024, according to the American Cancer Society. The Moonshot aims to reduce the cancer death rate in the United States by at least half by 2047, prevent more than 4 million cancer deaths and improve the experience of those touched by cancer. As Biden has said, the goal is to end cancer as we know it.