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Survey: Cancer Patients and Survivors Alter or Delay Care Due to Insurance Barriers

... nearly one-third of patients and survivors have experienced some insurance barrier to accessing prescription drugs necessary for their cancer care, more than half of lower-income respondents have had to act to reduce their prescription costs, and roughly one-quarter of all patients have ... coupon or assistance program (18%) or asking for a lower-cost drug to be prescribed (17%). While these methods may help reduce overall health care costs, other common methods may have serious negative impacts on patients’ health. For instance, low-income patients were more likely to delay treatment (17%), endure a side effect without treatment (17%), take an ...

National Film Premiere Offers Look into Life Inside the Health Insurance Coverage Gap, Highlights Urgency Behind Expanding Medicaid

... Washington, D.C. The film and the panel of storytellers and policy experts that followed the screening highlighted the urgent need to close the health insurance coverage gap in the 10 states that have yet to expand Medicaid.   The film, directed by Chicago-based independent filmmaker Ashley O’Shay, offers a unique view into the health insurance coverage gap by following three Black Americans facing each day without access to the health care they need. Their voices, along with the voices of experts in the film, speak powerfully to the history of racial bias and discriminatory ...

District Court Ruling Upholding Short-Term Health Insurance Rule Could Make Comprehensive Coverage Unaffordable; Leave Many Uncovered

Washington, D.C., July 19, 2019 — Patient groups representing millions of Americans with serious health conditions are voicing concern about access to affordable, comprehensive health coverage after U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon today upheld an administration rule expanding access to short-term limited-duration ... the individual insurance market, which has provided millions of previously uninsured people with access to quality coverage since the health care law went into effect. People with serious illnesses need comprehensive coverage, but the availability of short-term plans could result in ...

Cancer Patients and Survivors Celebrate the Successes of the Affordable Care Act in the Last 13 Years; Call on Lawmakers to Protect this Progress and Continue Improving Access to Care

Washington, D.C. – March 22, 2022 – This Thursday will mark 13 years since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law and cancer patients, survivors, and millions of others gained expanded access to comprehensive health coverage. The law, which put in place critical protections for people with pre-existing conditions and provided numerous benefits that have ... passage, pre-existing conditions, regardless of how minor or how serious, often meant being blocked from accessing comprehensive, high quality health insurance when people needed it most, including for those with a cancer diagnosis,” said Dr. Karen E. Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer ...

North Carolina Lawmakers Further Delay Access to Care for 600,000 Constituents 

... meaning that 600,000 hard-working, would-be eligible North Carolinians are forced to wait even longer for a chance at affordable access to care. To date, 38 states and the District of Columbia have taken the lifesaving action of increasing access to their Medicaid programs. North ... issue thus far is profoundly disappointing for many patients with cancer and their families in North Carolina as they struggle with access to care. Moreover, if access is not expanded, the cancer disparities that disproportionally affect Black, Latino, and rural communities in the state ... who will be diagnosed with cancer, to work with North Carolina policymakers to expand Medicaid for those hard-working North Carolinians in the health care coverage gap and whose lives stand to markedly improve.” ###          0 North Carolina Lawmakers Further Delay Access to Care ...

New Report: Cancer Survivors Face High Costs of Care and Debt Years After Treatment

... recurrence or secondary cancers, ongoing side effects from their initial cancer treatment, late and long-term side effects, and mental health care needs. Research shows cancer survivors have higher annual out-of-pocket health care costs and carry more cancer-related medical debt than people who have not had cancer. “The end of cancer treatment, unfortunately, is ...

Report: Complex Medicare Appeals Process Leaves Patients at Risk for Delayed or Denied Care

Washington, D.C.— As millions of seniors and other enrollees select their 2021 Medicare health benefits during annual open enrollment, a new report details just how confusing the program’s appeals process can be should a patient need to appeal a claim denial for health care services or prescription drugs. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) report examines the myriad complex steps, ...

House Stimulus Package Would Expand Access to Health Coverage, Provide Relief for Nonprofits that Serve Patients

... the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on the Heroes Act, a package of legislative proposals aimed at addressing numerous pandemic-related health, research and economic relief needs. Included in the bill are several provisions that would make it easier for Americans to maintain or gain health insurance coverage, including; a special enrollment period for private coverage through the federal health exchange, subsidies to cover the ... have lost their jobs and their employer-sponsored health insurance. Many others were uninsured when this pandemic hit and need access to care. Providing subsides to help people keep their health plans, allowing a special enrollment period for those who want to obtain coverage, and ...

ACS CAN Joins Leading Patient Advocacy Groups at Ohio Event Urging Lawmakers to Protect Patients First in National Health Reform

... Federation of American Hospitals, the March of Dimes and AARP Advocates. The event highlighted the concerns that Ohioans have regarding national health care reforms, including the American Health Care Act (AHCA), which has already passed the House and is now being considered by the Senate. The groups discussed AHCA’s many ...

Proposed Short-Term Health Plan Rule Would Weaken Patient Protections and Split Insurance Market

Washington, D.C.— Today the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) submitted comments to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on proposed changes to rules governing short-term, limited duration insurance plans (STLD). The comments detail how ... meaningful or affordable coverage choices. As proposed, short-term plans would be able to deny or charge people more for coverage based on their health status, would be exempt from covering essential health services, like prescription drugs or hospitalization, and could charge older people ... because such plans could charge older people more than the current 3 to 1 limit, “older individuals would face significantly higher health care premiums or be priced out of the market entirely.” This is especially concerning considering the incidence of cancer increases with age. ...

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