Press Room

The New York State Senate began its wrap up of the 2026 legislative session by advancing bipartisan legislation (Senate Bill 172b) that would improve New Yorkers’ access to paid medical leave through the state’s Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) Program. Despite overwhelming support from the Assembly majority conference, the companion legislation (Assembly Bill 9571a) is not expected to be taken up before the Assembly adjourns. Advocates with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) are expressing their disappointment that the Assembly may allow the effort to fail for the third year in a row.

Tras meses de debate, los legisladores estatales finalizaron el presupuesto del estado de Nueva York, optando por preservar el acceso a las pruebas de biomarcadores para las personas inscritas en Medicaid.

Hoy temprano, una coalición liderada por la Red de Acción contra el Cáncer de la Sociedad Americana Contra el Cáncer (ACS CAN), formada por defensores de los pacientes, promotores legislativos, líderes de salud pública y sobrevivientes de cáncer preocupados, se reunió para aplaudir al Senado y pedir a la gobernadora Hochul y al liderazgo de la Asamblea que se unan al Senado para preservar el acceso de los beneficiarios de Medicaid a las pruebas de biomarcadores.

The one-house budget proposals revealed a clear divide in the Legislature’s approach to the equitable treatment of disease. The New York State Senate flatly rejected the governor’s proposal to roll back Medicaid coverage criteria for biomarker testing, heeding the calls of cancer survivors, patient advocates and public health organizations, like the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). The Assembly took a more mixed approach accepting parts of the Governor’s proposed language while rejecting others.  

Más de una docena de voluntarios de ACS CAN se reunieron en el Capitolio de Nueva York para instar a los legisladores a que preserven el acceso a las pruebas de biomarcadores, una prioridad para más de 100 organizaciones.

As New York State’s 2026 legislative session begins and Governor Hochul prepares to deliver her State of the State address, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is calling on lawmakers to seize both immediate and long-term opportunities to ease the burden of cancer. Advocates are urging state leaders to prioritize affordability and ensure continued progress in the fight against this disease.

During Lung Cancer Awareness Month, cancer patients, survivors and volunteers with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) in New York are calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to take urgent action to reduce the state’s lung cancer burden by signing legislation that will eliminate cost-sharing for lung cancer screening and follow-up tests. As the advocates’ calls reach a fever pitch, new data, published in JAMA, has emerged to indicate that lung cancer screening uptake is low with only 1 in 5 eligible adults in the U.S. getting screened for lung cancer.

El Proyecto de Ley Int. #1369-2025 requerirá que todos los empleadores privados con cinco o más empleados otorguen hasta cinco horas anuales de tiempo libre pagado para la atención médica preventiva, incluidos los exámenes recomendados por un médico.

“With just days left in the legislative session, the New York State Assembly must not leave Albany without reforming the state’s inadequate Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) program--for the second year in a row."

According to a new report released last week by the American Cancer Society, the number of people living with a history of cancer in the United States is estimated at 18.6 million and projected to exceed 22 million by 2035. The new report also revealed that, in New York State, there are over 1.2 million cancer survivors alive today. The findings come at the start of National Cancer Survivors Month, which brought cancer survivors and advocates to the New York State Capitol earlier today to honor the lives touched by cancer and remind state lawmakers of the difference they can make in the fight against the disease.