The MRF celebrates the start of summer with a renewed commitment to melanoma prevention. This year, 20 states declared May Melanoma Awareness Month, signaling the importance of awareness, education and prevention. We also continued our annual tradition of participating in the American Academy of Dermatology Association’s (AADA) Skin Cancer Screening on Capitol Hill, reinforcing the need for regular skin checks to members of Congress and their staff.
 
As is often the case, this summer has also presented opportunities for the patient voice to be heard. The Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs’ (CDMRP) Melanoma Research Program is currently facing a $25 million cut from last year. I encourage you to share the importance of funding this critical Defense-funded program before the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 federal budget is passed. Continue reading on to learn more about how you can take action and urge your Senators to prioritize melanoma research in the Defense Appropriations bill.  

Additionally, and perhaps encouragingly, the FDA has agreed to allow Replimune to resubmit for approval of their advanced melanoma drug, RP1. Many of you provided testimony to the FDA during their initial review of RP1 and we are deeply grateful for your advocacy. Your voices continue to have a meaningful impact and drive real progress for melanoma patients.  

I wish all of you a safe and enjoyable summer.  

In response to the House Committee on Appropriations including a $15 million cut to the CDMRP’s Melanoma Research Program during their markup of the FY27 Defense Appropriations bill, the MRF spearheaded a sign on letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee leadership to urge for the continuation of $40 million in funding. The letter was endorsed by numerous peer organizations representing the skin cancer, patient advocacy and dermatology communities.

The MRF will continue to monitor further developments and keep our advocates informed. If you want to receive our upcoming action alerts, please sign up here.

On June 15, the MRF provided comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding prior authorization and laboratory testing. Many health plans deny coverage unless prior authorization is approved strictly on or before the exact date a specimen is collected. When administrative reviews lag, viable specimens must often be discarded, forcing vulnerable patients, especially those battling cancer or rare diseases, to undergo unnecessary, repeated blood draws. This delays time-sensitive treatment decisions and places disproportionate financial and geographic burdens on rural and low-income populations. To align insurance policies with real-world clinical workflows, the MRF urged CMS to mandate that health plans allow prior authorizations to be processed after specimen collection, stop denying medically necessary tests solely because paperwork was not finalized before the draw date, eliminate repeated blood draws when valid specimens are available, accelerate turnaround times for oncology diagnostics, and protect patients from surprise out-of-pocket costs when acting in good faith.