Cancer in America

“I promise you if I’m elected president, you’re going to see the single most important thing that changes America,” Biden announced on his campaign trail in 2019. “We’re gonna cure cancer!”

Many have since forgotten the loftiest, most absurd campaign promise in recent years. Sadly, there are those who actually believed funding and research would be put toward cancer research instead of killing off the young and healthy at war. The National Institutes of Health has identified 100 different types of cancer that develop for various, largely unknown reasons. The FDA permits known carcinogens to exist in our food and common households products, citing that they have minimal risk. Has anything been done under Biden’s presidency to aid in researching cancer?

The Biden Cancer Moonshot is a White House initiative aimed at reducing the deadly impact of cancer and improving patient experiences in the treatment and survival of cancer. Over $330 million has been earmarked for this project, a small cost compared to government’s spending on less important matters. The objectives of this initiative include reducing the cancer death rate by 50% over the next 25 years, improving access to cancer screenings, understanding and preventing toxic and environmental exposures, and preventing more cancers before they start. No, Biden was not able to “cure cancer” during his first term, but he is hoping this forgotten program will reduce the rate of cancer in 25 years.

The American Cancer Society believes that cancer cases will hit an all-time high in 2024, with two million Americans receiving that awful diagnosis. Cancer among those between 55 and 64 has risen, with colorectal cancer being the leading cause of death for men, while breast is the most lethal cancer for women. Genetics? Environmental? Other? Researchers are uncertain.

Americans cannot afford cancer treatments, and healthcare issues are the leading cause of bankruptcy. Drug companies, insurance companies, and health providers are permitted to extort Americans for top dollar and no one is intervening in a meaningful way. As this was Joe Biden’s promise to America, he certainly could have passed legislation preventing Americans from being decimated by these industries.

There was a Senate hearing on February 8, 2024, involving the CEOs of Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, and Merck. Senator Bernie Sanders confronted the CEOs, highlighting the obvious discrepancy between drug prices in the US and those in other countries. He underscored the findings of a majority staff report, which revealed that these companies charge Americans the highest prices globally and have substantially increased prices over the years. The report noted that from 2004 to 2008, the median price of new innovative drugs from these companies was $14,000, which surged to a median price of $238,000 from 2019 to 2023. The CEOs defended their pricing and are refusing to lower costs.

Do not believe promises made on the campaign trail, as these politicians will pretend they can solve every crisis known to man. The Biden Administration could focus on improving cancer research now, not in 25 years, and they could certainly curtail these sinister health agencies from profiting on the pain of the American people.