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Cancer center's CEO, others to testify today
CONCORD — After its conspicuous absence from a legislative hearing on Tuesday, Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) is sending its chief and others to testify today on a bill aimed at bringing the company to New Hampshire.
Set to appear before the Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee are CEO John McNeill, Dr. Maury Markman, formerly of Cleveland Clinic and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Donna Wolfendale, a current CTCA patient. The three will participate in a press conference after the Thursday morning hearing.
The subject of the hearing is House Bill 1642, which would establish a “destination cancer hospital” category of business that would be exempt from the state's Certification of Need review for new hospitals. Bill sponsors say without the exemption, CTCA would not be able to clear the review process.
Today's hearing is a continuation of one that began on Tuesday, when representatives of major hospitals lined up to speak against the bill. They argued that it was inappropriate for a for-profit cancer treatment center to get special treatment from the state and that CTCA would siphon insured patients, straining the hospitals' ability to care for the poor, as well as conduct cancer research. CTCA does not accept Medicaid patients, and under the bill it would also be exempt from the Medicaid Enhancement Tax that other hospitals pay, while paying business profit taxes.
On several occasions, lawmakers at Tuesday's hearing raised questions about CTCA that could not be answered, and one committee member expressed disbelief that the company did not have any representatives available to testify.
Set to appear before the Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee are CEO John McNeill, Dr. Maury Markman, formerly of Cleveland Clinic and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Donna Wolfendale, a current CTCA patient. The three will participate in a press conference after the Thursday morning hearing.
The subject of the hearing is House Bill 1642, which would establish a “destination cancer hospital” category of business that would be exempt from the state's Certification of Need review for new hospitals. Bill sponsors say without the exemption, CTCA would not be able to clear the review process.
Today's hearing is a continuation of one that began on Tuesday, when representatives of major hospitals lined up to speak against the bill. They argued that it was inappropriate for a for-profit cancer treatment center to get special treatment from the state and that CTCA would siphon insured patients, straining the hospitals' ability to care for the poor, as well as conduct cancer research. CTCA does not accept Medicaid patients, and under the bill it would also be exempt from the Medicaid Enhancement Tax that other hospitals pay, while paying business profit taxes.
On several occasions, lawmakers at Tuesday's hearing raised questions about CTCA that could not be answered, and one committee member expressed disbelief that the company did not have any representatives available to testify.