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Will Biden's Cancer "Moonshot" Be A Gamechanger, Or Just More Of The Same?

Marc Nozell via Flickr

During his State of the Union address last Tuesday, President Obama announced a new campaign to "cure cancer once and for all," with Vice President Joe Biden at its helm. Biden has pledged to continue the work after the end of his last year in office, but this isn't the first time an American President set out to end cancer.

STAT News spoke with researchers to learn the questions they'll be asking to size up Biden's "moonshot" as it progresses. For instance, will the vice president take action to make developing treatments more accessible? Dr. Harold Varmus, former director of the National Cancer Institute, says expanding insurance coverage is key. From the STAT piece:

"The vast majority of cancer patients are not getting genetic testing of their tumors, but doing so would really move things forward. One of the things the vice president could usefully do is talk to people at [Medicare] and make sure they’re doing their utmost.”

Read the full article here: 

How to tell if 'cancer moonshot' is legit, or political rhetoric