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Lawmakers can improve the odds in New Yorkers' battles against cancer

... received the three lifechanging words “you have cancer” and around 32,230 died from the disease. Innovation in early detection and cancer care are changing how we detect and treat cancer, but these staggering incidence and mortality rates suggest that many New Yorkers aren’t ... increasingly important for the treatment of other diseases, including arthritis, other autoimmune conditions and rare diseases. Currently, many health insurance plans in New York, including Medicaid, may not cover the most appropriate biomarker testing for all patients who could benefit, ... tested for certain guideline-indicated biomarkers. With biomarker testing increasingly becoming a standard of care in oncology, it’s time that health insurance plans keep up with innovations in testing and treatment. Improving access to biomarker is a simple way for legislators in Albany ...

ACS CAN Releases End of Session Priorities

... Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is asking lawmakers to act on two pieces of legislation that will help save lives and provide access to needed care. One bill (S.906-A Sanders/A.2805-A Dinowitz), would assure that if a colonoscopy is needed as a follow-up to a home-based screening test, it should be considered as the next step in the preventive screening process and covered by health insurers with no additional cost sharing. The legislation is currently in Assembly Ways and Means; and the Senate Insurance Committee. The ... from using a copay card or coupon to cover their out-of-pocket expenses.  Under this practice, when a patient uses a copay coupon or card, the health plan receives the payment from the card or coupon, yet the amount of the support provided by the coupon/card does NOT count toward the ...

States Urged to Pass and Defend Patient Protection Laws Requiring Insurers to Cover Costs of Colon Cancer Screening

... advocates are bracing to protect existing legislation in states that currently guarantee access to these lifesaving tests, a coalition of public health associations and medical professional societies reported today. The progress made in passing state-mandated coverage of colon cancer ... medical guidelines has come to a near halt as state legislatures reconsider their role in the wake of the passage of the federal Affordable Care Act. Only one state, Hawaii, passed coverage legislation in 2010. Combined with Vermont’s legislation passed in 2009, only two states have ... cancer screening has access to it. We know that the prevention or early detection that can result from screening saves lives, and will save health care dollars for the states in the long run.” With the addition of Hawaii in 2010, 23 states and the District of Columbia now require ...

Administration Budget Proposal Strong on Tobacco Control and Research Funding; Undervalues Prevention Programs

... 94-cent increase to the federal tax on cigarettes and significant increases on other tobacco products could have a dramatic impact on public health by reducing health care costs associated with tobacco use and preventing premature deaths. Raising the price of tobacco products is one of the most effective ...

Courage in Action: Cancer Survivors Unite at State Capitol to Advocate for Change

... lawmakers to make cancer a policy priority. “As a breast cancer survivor, I know the importance of preventing cancer and improving access to care all too well,” said Maggie Powell, cancer survivor and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) volunteer. “In Springfield ... demographic groups such as people of color, women and older adults. This disparity hampers the relevance of study findings and perpetuates health care inequities, as treatments may be less effective across diverse populations. Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in ...

Texas Legislature Votes Unanimously to Ensure Access to Affordable Colorectal Cancer Screenings

... of color, are also being diagnosed with colorectal cancer at increasingly younger ages due to varying risk factors and limited access to health care which can result in a decrease in screening rates. James Gray, Texas Senior Director of Government Relations for the American Cancer Society ... removes a major financial barrier that has kept too many Texans from receiving their recommended screenings, which comes with the cost of poorer health outcomes and lives lost. ACS CAN thanks Rep. John Smithee and Sen. Joan Huffman for their leadership on this issue and urge Gov. Abbott to ...

Patient Advocates Send Message to State Leaders: ‘Defend Medicaid Access to Precision Medicine'

Following today’s health-Medicaid budget hearing, more than a dozen cancer survivors and ACS CAN advocates gathered at the New York State Capitol to call on ... took effect, extending biomarker testing access to millions of New Yorkers. The Executive Budget proposal would reverse this gain for health equity by eliminating coverage criteria for Medicaid, potentially jeopardizing coverage for millions of New Yorkers, prompting ... biomarker testing coverage for Medicaid, exclusively, takes aim at the most vulnerable patients who already face countless barriers to their care. As someone who still relies on Medicaid and faces the risk of recurrence, I’m asking lawmakers to reject this proposal outright.”  ACS ...

House Recognizes Importance of Colorectal Cancer Screenings, Education and Outreach

... screening but will not have access to screening services at least until they reach Medicare age. This critical legislation would also train health care providers about how to talk to their patients about the importance of colorectal cancer screening, and support a public education campaign to ... priority for ACS CAN which is working to improve access to quality cancer prevention, early detection and treatment for all Americans by making health care reform a top domestic priority. As many as half of all cancer deaths could be avoided every year through proper prevention, screening ...

Advocates Join Reps. Payne Jr., Dent, Lance Calling for Legislation to Remove Cost Barriers to Colon Cancer Screening for Seniors

... cost-sharing loophole in Medicare policy right now. The lobby day will begin with a meeting of stakeholders patients, survivors, advocates and health care providers led by Rep. Payne, Jr., Rep. Dent and Rep. Lance. Advocates will then hold more than 60 meetings with lawmakers to ask for their ... affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people ...

New York State Legislative Session Ends With Significant Wins for Cancer Prevention and Treatment

... Cattaraugus, Tompkins, Sullivan and Orange Counties; Town of Hempstead, Town of North Hempstead Statewide Tobacco 21 legislation: Passed health committee in both houses. In Senate Finance and Assembly Codes. SUNY Tobacco free campus: Passed Assembly. Flavored Tobacco Products. Reported from Assembly Health. Tobacco Coupons. Reported from Assembly Health. Legislation would prohibit use of coupons for tobacco products. Multi-unit housing: ... Restaurant Meals. Reported from Senate Health.  Requires DOH to set nutrition standards kids meals distributed with incentive items. Access to Care Time off for cancer screenings:  Passed both houses.  While current law allows public employees time off for breast cancer screenings, this ...

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