1 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:06,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to wellness. I'm mass I'm not going to pull sapphire, 2 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:08,799 Speaker 1: and this is your weekly rundown. I hope everyone had 3 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:12,319 Speaker 1: a wonderful Hanukkah and a very merry Christmas. We got 4 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:16,080 Speaker 1: some very sad news from former Nebraska Senator Ben Sass 5 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:18,840 Speaker 1: this week. He announced that he has been diagnosed with 6 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:23,520 Speaker 1: stage four advanced pancreatic cancer, a disease that he described 7 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:26,799 Speaker 1: candidly as a death sentence in a message to the public. 8 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:30,400 Speaker 1: SaaS fifty three and a husband and father of three, 9 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 1: made it clear just how devastating this diagnosis is and 10 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 1: how quickly this disease can progress. Most people don't realize it, 11 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 1: but pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of 12 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:44,840 Speaker 1: cancer in the United States. It affects roughly sixty seven 13 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:49,159 Speaker 1: thousand people each year, with nearly fifty one thousand deaths 14 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:53,080 Speaker 1: every year, making it the fourth leading cause of cancer death. 15 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 1: So what makes pancreatic cancer so deadly Well, it often 16 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: causes no symptoms until it's our already advanced, and by 17 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 1: the time it's diagnosed, about fifty to sixty percent of 18 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:07,960 Speaker 1: patients are already at stage four, where treatment options are 19 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 1: limited and survival rates are low. The overall five year 20 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:16,040 Speaker 1: survival for metastatic pancreatic cancer is in the single digits. 21 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:20,200 Speaker 1: We do have treatment options there are getting better with 22 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:23,440 Speaker 1: some of these survival odds, but it is still far 23 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:25,920 Speaker 1: below what we would like it to be. So this 24 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 1: isn't just a political figure struggle. It's a reflection of 25 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:33,960 Speaker 1: a broader public health challenge. We still urgently need better 26 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:38,240 Speaker 1: tools at diagnosing and finding this particular cancer early, more 27 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: research funding, and broader access to cutting edge treatments. These 28 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:45,000 Speaker 1: are not luxuries, these are necessities, and now shifting from 29 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 1: personal health to our entire health system, the millions of 30 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: Americans who rely on the Affordable Care Act health insurance 31 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:55,720 Speaker 1: are facing immediate financial stress because expanded ACA subsidies are 32 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:59,640 Speaker 1: expiring as of December thirty. First, yeah, that's what of that? 33 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 1: A week away now, guys. These pandemic air premium tax credits, 34 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:08,800 Speaker 1: paid for by the taxpayer, slashed costs for millions of 35 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 1: individuals and families because it gave a lot of taxpayer 36 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 1: dollars to the insurance companies. But now they're set to expire, 37 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: and if we don't renew them, then everyone's premiums are 38 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 1: going to go up, but it's going to be very 39 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:22,919 Speaker 1: expensive for a lot of people. But the answer can't 40 00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:26,359 Speaker 1: be to just keep giving taxpayer dollars to insurance companies. 41 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: This is not the way out, and Congress has to 42 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 1: deal with it. They made this problem. They need to 43 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: fix it. And as of right now we see a 44 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:38,200 Speaker 1: few bills circulating around Congress. They haven't necessarily come in 45 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:40,360 Speaker 1: on one. You have the Democratic one, you have the 46 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 1: GOP one. The GOP one, in my opinion, still needs 47 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:45,800 Speaker 1: some work. We need some people to get together. The 48 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: Democratic one is dead in the water. It's essentially socialized medicine. 49 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 1: We're not going to go with that. So the GOP 50 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 1: really needs to get together because Americans will suffer if 51 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 1: the subsidies aren't expanded, at least in the short term. 52 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:01,359 Speaker 1: I don't think the answers to continue to throw money 53 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:05,239 Speaker 1: at insurance companies, absolutely not. But something needs to happen 54 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:09,440 Speaker 1: because we can't let Americans suffer financially. This is not 55 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:12,679 Speaker 1: the time, This is tis the season. So Congress get 56 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:16,399 Speaker 1: to work. So this whole policy shift is not abstract. 57 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 1: It affects care access at a time when the US 58 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:23,680 Speaker 1: is grappling with rising disease burdens, cancer, chronic illness, mental 59 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:27,119 Speaker 1: health needs. So if people don't have affordable health insurance, 60 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 1: they will delay their preventative care. They're going to skip 61 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:32,480 Speaker 1: their cancer screenings, and they're going to start showing up 62 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: in emergency rooms, sicker and more expensive to treat. I'm 63 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 1: doctor Nicole Staffire. This is Wellness Unmass, your weekly rundown. 64 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 1: Make sure to listen to Wellness Unmass every Tuesday and Friday. 65 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 1: You can find it on iHeartRadio or wherever you get 66 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:48,400 Speaker 1: your podcasts, and we will see you next time.