The Facts
According to US Health and Human Services officials (HHS), federal health administrators are rolling out a new "National Cancer Plan" as part of the framework for Pres. Joe Biden's Cancer Moonshot initiative, with the goal of cutting the cancer death rate in the US by 50% within 25 years.
According to a White House fact sheet, the president and First Lady Jill Biden are also announcing a call to action on cancer screening to jumpstart progress that was reportedly lost during the pandemic.
The Spin
Narrative A
The Moonshot plan, correctly termed for its similar ambitiousness to the 1960s goal of landing on the moon, is focused on the right things. As over 9M people miss their cancer screening appointments each year, focusing on diagnosis is the most important first step, and this latest plan will go a long way in reducing that number.
Narrative B
While a lofty goal, the Moonshot program is futile unless Congress can approve hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for modern cancer research, including in the fields Biden has placed his focus on, which are prevention and screening. There are departments devoted to researching complex medical issues, such as ARPA-H, though that, too, requires billions in Congressional funding, calling into question the practicability of the project.
