2018 West Virginia Legislative Priorities

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is the advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society.  ACS CAN supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem for all West Virginians.

The following highlights ACS CAN WV 2018 legislative priorities

Quality of Life

• Better Health, Better Care, Lower Cost: Support Palliative Care Legislation

  Palliative care provides a coordinated, team-based approach among medical professionals to help meet a patient's needs during and after treatment for a serious illness like cancer.  ACS CAN’s legislation will establish a palliative care advisory council to develop initiatives aimed at improving cancer patient's quality of life.

Reduce the burden of tobacco on West Virginia

• Protect the right to breath smoke-free indoor air; help our communities save lives and improve health with comprehensive smoke-free workplaces

  We are working with local communities across West Virginia to make restaurants, bars and all workplaces smoke-free, protecting all workers from the proven dangers of secondhand smoke. Elected officials must respect the choices of local community leaders and uphold existing local smoke- free decisions while preserving the right for other communities to make their own decisions on the health of their constituents

   

• Invest in our most valuable resource; keep our children tobacco-free

  Tobacco price increase is one of the most effective strategies for keeping our kids from a tobacco addiction. In addition to helping people who smoke quit and reducing overall consumption. Raising tobacco excise taxes is an effective solution to help reduce the toll tobacco takes on the health of citizens and the health of our economy through state health care expenditures.

   

• Help West Virginians quit tobacco use with barrier-free insurance coverage for tobacco cessation

  Our health care providers know what is best for their patients who want to break the addiction to tobacco.  All tobacco users should have access to a range of treatments to find the most effective cessation tools for them.

  Support legislation requiring all West Virginia insurers, including Medicaid and private insurers, to cover treatments recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) for tobacco cessation, including all seven Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications and all three forms of counseling without cost-sharing or prior authorization.

   

• Lead the way for a healthier West Virginia: restore the WV Tobacco Prevention and Control Program funding

  Smoking is not only killing us, it’s bankrupting us.  West Virginia can see faster declines in smoking rates and lung cancer deaths with a commonsense investment in our tobacco control programs.  Funds should be allocated to tobacco prevention and cessation programs to help people quit smoking and educate children to never start.
   

Invest in Critical Cancer Programs

• Maintain funding for the West Virginia Cancer Registry.
• Maintain funding for the Mountains of Hope West Virginia Cancer Coalition.
• Maintain funding for the West Virginia Breast and Cervical Diagnostic and Treatment Fund.