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This opinion originally ran in Wausau Pilot & Review. By Philip R. O’Brien, national member of the ACS CAN Board of Directors In the Badger State, we have a proud tradition of taking care of each other when our friends and neighbors are struggling. ... without health insurance tend to be diagnosed a full stage later than insured individuals, marking a substantial difference in treatment cost. Expanding BadgerCare would cover cancer patients who currently do not have insurance. We need to acknowledge what rural, urban and suburban ...

... healthcare system that better incorporates, coordinates and values quality and prevention. Collectively, these organizations represent millions of patients, survivors and families affected by four of the nation’s most prevalent chronic diseases: cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Americans at risk of developing these deadly and costly diseases can benefit tremendously from proven community interventions, clinical services, early detection and health screenings. The return on investment ... Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health. “Much of the suffering and death from cancer that occurs today, along with the substantial cost we incur of treating advanced disease, could be reduced through evidence-based prevention.”   A unified focus on prevention that includes ...

Federal Update   On December 16, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued an advisory bulletin outlining policy direction for states on the essential benefits package. Although ... of health benefit exchanges. HHS plans to publish a formal regulatory proposal, but did not indicate when. Read the HHS press release , ACS CAN's statement , and coverage from the Associated Press and Wall Street Journal. (attach WSJ)   The bulletin says a state will be able to choose ... Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plan; or, The three largest state employee plans.   The choice is about the benefit package only .  Cost-sharing (i.e. deductibles and co-pays or coinsurance) associated with the plans are not important at this point.  Cost-sharing will ...

State Lead Ambassador Summit Last weekend ACS CAN hosted its sixth annual State Lead Ambassador Summit in St. Louis for 48 volunteer leaders and their staff partners. The Summit included a town ... for implementing the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  Later in the weekend, breakout sessions were held on the essential health benefits provision of the law and why it is so important to achieving adequate coverage for cancer patients and survivors. At the end of the discussion, participants had the chance to build their own essential health benefits package as part of a group exercise designed to ...