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Proposed Law to Save Cancer Patients Money, Improve Access to Care Passes Utah State Senate

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – FEBRUARY 16, 2023 – The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) applauds state senators for passing SB184, Prescription Cost Amendments, this week. The proposed law aims to address the high cost of prescription drugs Utah.   Cancer patients and many Utahns with chronic conditions face hardship when faced with medical bills, including ...

House Votes on Legislative Package to Protect and Improve Access to Affordable Health Care

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on a legislative package aimed at protecting and improving access to affordable health care and prescription ... this package would stop an administration rule that extends the availability of short-term, limited duration insurance plans (STLD). These plans can deny or charge people more for coverage based on their health status, are exempt from covering essential health services, like prescription ... Act of 2019 as a way to address an important barrier to developing generic and biosimilar drug therapies and improve patient access to lower cost drugs. A statement from Lisa Lacasse, president of ACS CAN follows: “The bills under consideration today offer Congress the chance to ...

New Study Reveals Popular Federal Employee Health Plan a Good Starting Point to Determine Minimum Benefits Coverage

... for defining minimum coverage benefits in health care reform legislation. Authored by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) and the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, “A Benchmark for Coverage: How the FEHBP Blue Cross Blue Shield Standard Option Plan Covers Medical Care for Patients with Serious Chronic Conditions” examines the adequacy and affordability of coverage held by most federal employees to people with cancer, heart disease and diabetes. The Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan (FEHBP) ... plan brochure for clarity and ease of understanding. The report finds that benefits covered under the BCBSSO plan are comprehensive, and that cost sharing for routine care is modest. However, out-of-pocket costs for patients with a serious illness are substantial, totaling $5,000 per year ...

Fight Big Tobacco in West Virginia

Impact of Tobacco in West Virginia: The Need to Invest in Tobacco Control to Reduce Taxpayer Costs, Protect Kids, and Save Lives:   Health Costs of ... use smokeless tobacco.  • 37.8% of cancer deaths are caused by smoking.   Economic Costs of Tobacco to West Virginia Smoking is estimated to cost West Virginia $1.17 billion in direct health care costs, including $298.1 million in Medicaid costs annually.v Additionally, smoking costs the ... prevention programs has never been greater.   The Solution: Investments in Fact-Based Tobacco Control Programs & Increased Tobacco Taxes  ACS CAN urges West Virginia lawmakers to increase funding for the Division of Tobacco Prevention to $16.5 million to prevent kids from starting to use ...

Advertising Campaign Highlights the Critical Need for Comprehensive Health Care Reform Now

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- May 5, 2009 -- The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) today launched an advertising campaign urging Congress to enact health care system reform this year. The ads are intended to send the message that the current “sick care” system leaves millions of Americans without access to lifesaving cancer screenings and treatment, and that the cost of waiting to take action, measured both in dollars spent and lives lost, is too high. The ads emphasize the importance of getting lifesaving ...

Free Prevention Loopholes Closed in Administration Guidance

WASHINGTON, D.C. February 20, 2013 Patients and consumers in the private insurance market should no longer face unexpected cost-sharing for preventive colon cancer screening tests that were supposed to be free under the Affordable Care Act. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Labor today issued guidanceξ that polyps removed during a routine screening colonoscopy ... to be free, because it carried an A rating by the United States Preventive Services Task Force. Evidence shows that even limited cost-sharing can be a deterrent from getting the test. Polyps left untreated can result in advanced stage colorectal cancer that is much more expensive to treat ...

Cancer Advocates and Lawmakers Attend Prescription Drug Town Hall

... the state to hear from state lawmakers, including the bill sponsors, on prescription drug legislation currently being considered.  "Soaring out-of-pocket costs make prescription drugs unaffordable for far too many Illinoisans, especially those with chronic conditions," said House Majority ... that make it harder for patients to afford their prescribed medication. "For Illinoisans with life-threatening diseases like cancer, the high cost of prescription drugs can be an obstacle to accessing the care they need," State Senator Laura Fine said. "It's time to protect Illinois patients from exploitation and ...

New Report Shows Cancer Patients Struggle to Afford Treatment

Washington, D.C., —A new report released today by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) and Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms shows that while opportunities for coverage have improved, cancer patients still struggle with significant financial challenges in affording their treatment despite substantial reductions in out-of-pocket costs and patient protections under current law. The report, Navigating the Coverage Experience and Financial Challenges for Cancer ... patients to meet in a short amount of time. Patients and financial navigators also often find it difficult to determine what a procedure will cost ahead of time. Navigators report that while most cancer treatment is now covered by insurers, plans are increasingly implementing medical ...

Healey Signs Bill to Address Breast Cancer Screening Inequities

... requires that health plans regulated by the Commonwealth cover medically necessary screening and diagnostic breast imaging with no out- of-pocket costs. The following statement can be attributed to Marc Hymovitz, Massachusetts director of government relations for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN): “Cost is a known barrier to completing follow up cancer screenings. By eliminating the potential for unexpected costs, we can increase the ...

Wyoming Medicaid Expansion would benefit employers

Health-care costs and health-care insurance are on people’s minds in Wyoming. In late July, this forum hosted two writers on the pros and cons of Medicaid expansion. Their essays prompted more people to comment — and their comments made it clear that Medicaid expansion is only a piece of ... lays out the case for axing the familiar “fee-for-service” way of paying for health care — and argues that employers and others in Wyoming can take this task on. Annemarie Albins of Kemmerer, who works in her family’s small business, exposes the costs facing people in Wyoming. She ... and make your proposals. We’ll see whether this discussion will get us somewhere in taking the puzzle apart and defusing the health-care cost crisis. — Pete Simpson Wyoming Medicaid Expansion would benefit employers ...

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