Did anyone else watching last night's debate notice the ads from the American Cancer Society? Rather than the traditional awareness-raising ads about the need for cancer prevention, early detection, or funding for research and development of cures, the ads are about how a lack of access to health care or a lack of sufficient health care is the biggest challenge in fighting cancer in this country. The 47 million Americans without health insurance and the 16 million under-insured are less likely to get the regular check-ups that help catch cancers at their earliest, most treatable stages. And even if they do detect it, the cost of treatment is often insurmountable. Apparently, the American Cancer Society is spending their entire $15 million ad budget on these commercials.
Some have criticized the society for getting political, but it's political problems that they have to overcome in meeting the goals of their organization, making it a fitting and worthy campaign. A recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal criticized the group for wasting money that should have been spent on more prevention and detection campaigns, missing the entire point of the ad campaign: that we can't adequately prevent, detect, or care for cancers when a large swath of the populous doesn't have access to doctors. Richard C. Wender, M.D., national volunteer president of the society, defended the campaign in a subsequent letter to the editor:
The society was the first traditional health charity to engage in paid advertising and, to be sure, for years our ad budget, which is less than 2% our revenues, was spent raising awareness of things such as colorectal cancer and breast cancer screenings and tobacco prevention. These and other efforts to emphasize the lifesaving benefits of prevention and early detection measures have proven effective. But they are not enough.
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We openly acknowledge that such a system can be achieved in different ways. Our objective is to help define what the country needs and to encourage an open and productive dialogue about how to achieve it. The solution could be private, public or some combination of the two. What we are certain of is that the answer should be in the hands of the American people, and that elected officials must take the lead and work with all concerned to find an answer that saves more lives from cancer and improves our health-care system.
An important message coming from an important organization.
--Kate Sheppard
