Nearly 15 years ago, Maura Bivens was diagnosed with breast cancer. After undergoing numerous rounds of treatments that her doctors anticipated to be successful, she thought her worst nightmare was coming to an end. Unfortunately, it was only beginning of a much larger fight. More than a year after her final round of treatment, Maura learned that her cancer had metastasized to her lungs. Thankfully, after additional medical interventions, she has been cancer free for many years, something we can all celebrate
Maura’s tumultuous battle with cancer has made her fiercely passionate about the protection and development of new, innovative treatments which is why she joined Voters for Cures.
Maura’s most recent advocate efforts brought her to Washington D.C. to participate in the first ever Voters for Cures Advocate Summit. During her time in the nation’s capital, Maura met with members of Congress to underscore the importance of protecting policies that protect research—the same research that saved her life. She also spoke with policymakers about the burdensome practices of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and how insurance coverage can often act as a barrier to care. Maura’s conversations came right on the heels of an opinion piece she authored in the Nevada Independent that outlines PBMs’ anti-patient practices.
As Congress continues to wrangle with efforts to improve the health care experience, patients like Maura are asking lawmakers to stand against legislation that could prevent new treatments from coming to market, and to hold insures and PBMs accountable for acting as a barrier to care.
Maura is living proof that biopharmaceutical advancements cannot be compromised. As she will tell you first-hand, her success story is not based on chance and luck, it is based around perseverance and innovation.