Healthcare insurers continue to deploy medical policies that prevent head and neck cancer survivors from receiving physician-prescribed and desperately needed lymphedema therapy. The purpose of this petition is to shine a spotlight on this vulnerable population and implore healthcare insurers to update their medical policy to cover medically necessary pneumatic compression therapy for their head and neck cancer patients.

Studies show that over 90% of head and neck cancer survivors develop lymphedema (1), a buildup of lymph fluid in the soft tissues of the neck, that can significantly impair eating, speaking, and breathing (2). FDA cleared pneumatic compression therapy has been proven to alleviate these issues and positively impact the head and neck cancer survivors’ quality of life (3). If lymphedema goes untreated it often leads to irreversible fibrosis, aspiration, recurrent infections, hospitalization, long-term feeding tube dependency and even mortality. Pneumatic compression is a NCCN (National Comprehensive Cancer Network) recommendation to treat lymphedema in breast cancer patients who have undergone radiation and/or lymph node removal. If pneumatic compression therapy is a covered benefit for breast cancer patients, then why not head and neck cancer patients who develop lymphedema for the same reasons?

By signing this petition, you are telling health insurance companies that NOW is the time for them to update their medical policy and make pneumatic compression therapy a covered benefit for the head and neck cancer survivor community.

Studies Cited:

1. Jeans et al., 2021; Jeans et al., 2022
2. Cristofaro et al., 2021; Dirix et al., 2006; Johnson et al., 2020; Lydiatt, 2020; Osazuwa-Peters et al., 2021
3. Gutierrez et al., 2019