As the members of the House and Senate continue to debate the pros and cons of a health care bill being pushed through Congress by the Obama administration, one local resident is working hard to ensure elected officials hear the voices of their constituents who oppose the bill and portions of it that restrict access to certain types of medical care.

Vicki Barrileaux, a 17-year resident of Huntsville and a cancer survivor, traveled to Washington, D.C., on July 29 to speak at a media event with the Colon Cancer Alliance and meet with members of Congress to share their concerns about the proposed health care bill.

At the event, Barrileaux spoke about the importance of scanning services in both early detection, prevention and treatment of different types of cancer, which would be restricted under the proposed bill as it currently reads.

According to Barrileaux, the new bill would reduce the reimbursement rates for these services through Medicare, greatly decreasing the number of patients who would have access to these potentially-lifesaving scans.

“I realize, as a cancer survivor, how important scans are for not only diagnosing but also for treatment,” Barrileaux said. “I can’t understand that at a time when we’re promoting early detection, that we would then limit the people who can be screened. By doing this, we’re going to have people diagnosed with diseases too late and lose some lives. The cost of scans as compared to the cost of treatment – there’s just not even a comparison.”

Barrileaux said she is also concerned about the potential effects the bill would create for patients in smaller communities like Huntsville.

Under the proposed plan, Medicare would only agree to reimburse scans provided to patients at a facility where the equipment is used at least 75 percent of the time. Barrileaux said this concerns her because of the travel and inconvenience it would require of residents of small communities where such facilities simply are not feasible.

“I don’t think there is any facility here that uses their equipment 75 percent of the time,” Barrileaux said. “That would put the burden on our patients to have to travel to a larger city and often, when people are sick, that is not a good time to travel.”

During her time on Capital Hill, Barrileaux had the opportunity to speak with the Colon Cancer Alliance at a press conference with members of the media about her experience as a cancer survivor.

Following the media event, she also had the opportunity to visit with members of Congress to speak about her concerns with the bill. She was able to share her story with the staff of Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn. and got the chance to meet with Sen. Pat Roberts, R.-Kansas, both of whom have shown opposition to the bill currently under debate.

“The two (congressmen) I visited with were already supporters so it was a matter of being able to thank them for their support and ask them to be sure to get our message out there and let the rest of the House and Senate know our concerns,” Barrileaux said. “We have the House and Senate deciding these issues for all Americans and yet, this is not going to be the plan they are going to have to live by – they have their own medical plan. I think if they were having to propose a bill on something that they would have to live by, then we wouldn’t be seeing something with these drastic cuts.”

While the bill currently being debated has been promoted as a step forward in providing better access to health care, Barrileaux said she believes passage of the new rules and regulations would actually limit the options available for patients not only under Medicare, but also those under private insurance plans.

“These cuts are being proposed for Medicare and insurance companies often follow Medicare’s lead,” Barrileaux said. “It would not be something that would just affect patients on Medicare, but I think all patients. To limit access seems like we’re taking a major step backwards in the improvements we’ve made. We’ve had this great opportunity through technology and innovation – scans today are even better than they were five years ago. Having access is just so key because it’s important in early detection. If we wait until people exhibit the symptoms, it’s often too late.”

Barrileaux, who lost her sister to cancer after the disease wasn’t detected until it had reached Stage 4, was diagnosed with colon cancer in July 2002. Since going into remission seven years ago, she has remained cancer free and is now considered to be cured.

Yet the memory of her battle is still fresh, and through her new battle for patient’s rights, Barrileaux hopes to retain the access to the same treatment options that she credits with saving her own life.

“I do realize that something has to be done and health care costs are a major concern for our country,” Barrileaux said. “But we need to make sure it is done the right way. We need to be a big voice at this time. It’s such an impact, it’s not something that needs to be decided quickly. The health care reform deal needs to be an instrument you take your time with and make sure the choices they make are the right choices.”