2024 Connecticut Legislative Priorities

Victory in the fight against cancer requires bold new public policies that promote cancer prevention, early detection of cancer, and expand access to quality, affordable health care. Lawmakers make many decisions that impact the lives of Connecticut citizens impacted by cancer and their leadership is vital to defeating this disease. In 2024 the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) will work with the Connecticut General Assembly on legislative and regulatory efforts that provide affordable, adequate access to health insurance including Medicaid, ensure adequate appropriations funding for lifesaving cancer screening programs, and enact prevention policies that help people who use tobacco products quit and deter kids from ever using tobacco products. We will be making the following fact-based policies a priority and ask for your support:

Ensuring Access to Quality Care

• Affordable, Adequate Health Insurance: ACS CAN will advocate for policies that ensure access to quality, affordable and comprehensive health insurance including Medicaid.
• Access to Biomarker Testing: ACS CAN will advocate for improved coverage of comprehensive biomarker testing. Progress in improving cancer outcomes increasingly involves the use of precision medicine, which uses information about a person’s own genes or proteins to prevent, diagnose or treat diseases like cancer. Biomarker testing is an important step to accessing precision medicine which includes targeted therapies that can lead to improved survivorship and better quality of life for cancer patients, but insurance coverage for biomarker testing is failing to keep pace with innovations and advancements in treatment.   

Cancer Prevention and Early Detection

• Breast and Cervical Cancer: ACS CAN will advocate to maintain funding of $2.9 million for the state Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (BCCEDP) for low-income uninsured and underinsured women administered by the Connecticut Department of Health.
• Lung Cancer Screenings: ACS CAN will work to protect funding for the newly created Lung Cancer Early Detection and Treatment Referral Program, thereby providing greater awareness, access, and equity to an underutilized preventative tool.

Reducing the Toll of Tobacco

• Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Funding:  ACS CAN will work to maintain funding for fact-based, statewide tobacco prevention and cessation programs at $12 million, as well as cessation services through the state HUSKY Program at $3.4 million.
• Tobacco Bars: ACS CAN will work to protect workers and preserve clean air by strongly opposing efforts to create and expand new and existing tobacco bars across Connecticut.

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