commentary As breakthrough drugs offer critical hope to patients, lawmakers should focus on shoring up the social safety net Published May 15, 2026 10:05AM (EDT) Insurers frequently deny or delay cancer care to patients, including breakthrough immunotherapies like Keytruda (Shivansh Gupta/PA Images via Getty Images) After former President Jimmy Carter used the cancer drug Keytruda — which ultimately helped him become the first U.S. president to live to 100 — cancer patients across the United States had one request for their doctors: “I want what Jimmy Carter had.” But not everyone who wanted the treatment could get it. Some patients had cancers that weren’t treatable with the drug. Other patients were good fits for the breakthrough immunotherapy, but still struggled to access it, because their insurers threw up roadblocks or demanded high out-of-pocket payments.…