2026 Rhode Island Legislative Priorities

2026 Legislative Priorities – Rhode Island 

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 Rhode Islanders impacted by cancer and their leadership is vital to defeating this disease. In 2026 the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) will work with the Rhode Island General Assembly on legislative and regulatory efforts that provide affordable, adequate access to health insurance including Medicaid, ensure adequate funding for lifesaving cancer screening and prevention programs, and enact prevention policies to protect kids from tobacco products and help support those who are trying to quit.  

We will be making the following fact-based policies a priority and ask for your support:  

Reducing the Toll of Tobacco  

• Tobacco Taxes: As the State of Rhode Island works to identify funding strategies to reduce the budget deficit and fund critical programs, ACS CAN will advocate to increase the cigarette tax by $1.00 per pack with a parallel tax on all other tobacco products including e-cigarettes. Increasing the price of cigarettes and all other tobacco products through regular and significant tobacco tax increases helps prevent kids from starting to use tobacco and helps support people who are trying to quit.  Revenue from tobacco tax increases should be used to fund and sustain fact-based, statewide tobacco prevention and cessation programs at the Rhode Island Department of Health. At least $3.2 million of the total revenue from tobacco taxes should be used to fund and sustain evidence-based, statewide tobacco prevention and cessation programs. 

• Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Funding: ACS CAN will work to increase funding for fact-based, statewide tobacco prevention and cessation programs to $3.2 million.  Increasing funding to $3.2 million will allow the program to continue and build upon evidence-based tobacco control, prevention, and cessation programs that help people who use tobacco products to quit and prevent children from ever starting. 

• Smoke-free Air: ACS CAN will work to strengthen the Rhode Island Public Health and Workplace Safety Act to eliminate a recent exemption for parimutuel facility smoking lounges.   

• Menthol Cigarettes and All Other Flavored Tobacco Products: ACS CAN supports legislation to end the sale of menthol cigarettes and all other flavored tobacco products. Comprehensive policies to end the sale of flavored tobacco products must include all tobacco products, all flavors, and all tobacco retailers. 

Ensuring Access to Quality Care 

• Medicaid Defense: The preservation of eligibility, coverage, and access to Medicaid remains critically important for many low-income state residents who depend on the program for cancer and chronic disease prevention, as well as early detection, diagnostic, and treatment services. ACS CAN will work to ensure Medicaid enrollees have adequate access and coverage and will oppose proposals that create barriers or reduce access to care for cancer patients, survivors, and those who could be diagnosed with cancer. 

• Prescription Drug Affordability: ACS CAN supports legislation that restricts the use of so-called copay accumulator adjustments in health insurance plans.  We will advocate for policies that ensure third party prescription drug copay assistance is counted toward patients’ out-of-pocket cost obligations.   

• Reduce Patient Medical Debt: ACS CAN will advocate for policies that prevent the occurrence of medical debt and reduce the impact of incurred medical debt on individuals and families. 

• Paid Family and Medical Leave: ACS CAN will advocate for legislation that ensures all working cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers have access to paid family and medical leave that allows them to take time off work to attend to their own or a loved one’s care without losing their job or income. 

Cancer Prevention and Early Detection 

• Remove copays for breast screenings: ACS CAN will advocate for legislation to eliminate cost sharing for follow-up cancer screening tests that are needed after an abnormal result and supplemental screening needed for some individuals based on individual risk factors. 

• Breast and Cervical Cancer: ACS CAN will advocate to maintain funding for the Women’s Cancer Screening Program, the state’s breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment program for low-income uninsured and underinsured women administered by the Rhode Island Department of Health. 

• Colorectal Cancer: ACS CAN will work to maintain funding for colorectal cancer screening, treatment, and patient navigation programs. 

Cancer Research Funding  

• Comprehensive Cancer Control Program Funding: ACS CAN will work to protect appropriations for state comprehensive cancer control programs.  

• State Cancer Registries: ACS CAN will work to protect appropriations to support state cancer registries which provide the data-driven foundation for the state cancer control efforts. 

 
 
For more information, contact: 

Ryan Timothy Strik 

 Rhode Island Government Relations Director, ACS CAN 

[email protected]   |   401.259.1052 

 
ACS CAN is making cancer a top priority for public officials and candidates at the federal, state, and local levels. ACS CAN empowers advocates across the country to make their voices heard and influence evidence-based public policy change as well as legislative and regulatory solutions that will reduce the cancer burden. As the American Cancer Society’s nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN is critical to the fight for a world without cancer. For more information, please visit www.fightcancer.org.