Cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones are benefiting from provisions of the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law last March. Take Taylor, for example. Diagnosed with cancer at age 8, she nearly reached the lifetime benefit limit on her health insurance coverage by the age of 11. But thanks to the new law's ban on lifetime limits, she no longer has to worry about reaching a cap on how much her insurance will cover for the care she needs.
Other provisions of the law are making it easier for people with cancer and their families to access quality, affordable health care. But the law is complex and can be difficult for consumers and patients to understand. That's why ACS CAN teamed up with national organizations including AARP, the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association and the Catholic Health Association to form Health Care and You, a coalition dedicated to providing easy-to-understand information about the Affordable Care Act. The coalition website is a valuable resource that breaks down the law and offers information specific to your state. Perhaps the site's most useful tool is the timeline, which tells you when provisions of the law will go into effect. Over the past several months, the site has also featured several web chats that give consumers and patients the opportunity to learn about specific areas of the law. Today at 2pm eastern time, our own Erin Reidy, ACS CAN's associate director of policy, will answer your questions about Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plans (PCIPs). These plans, which are in effect in states across the country, provide adults who have been uninsured for at least 6 months because they were denied coverage due to a pre-existing condition with access to quality, affordable health care. I invite you to join or follow along with the chat here.
The true costs of cancer are heavy, they are deep, and they are ultimately unaffordable for many, a challenge further exacerbated by this year’s COVID-19 pandemic and spotlighted by the upcoming Supreme Court case challenging the Affordable Care Act.