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House Votes on Legislative Package to Improve Access to Affordable Health Care
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on a legislative package containing provisions aimed at improving access to affordable health care, ... The package would also rescind the 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, and can charge older ... misleading marketing tactics. The report’s findings mirror similar results from an ACS CAN report issued last year that showed STLD plans can cost cancer patients up to five times as much in out-of-pocket costs as a comprehensive plan. A statement from Lisa Lacasse, president of the ...
House Committee Focuses on Public Health with Increased Tobacco Tax, Greater Access to Affordable Health Care
... in states that have not expanded Medicaid, make permanent increased tax credits for marketplace coverage, and cap Medicare enrollees’ out-of-pocket drug costs. A statement from Lisa Lacasse, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) follows: “This bill is a great step toward improving our nation’s public health and reducing our cancer burden. Increasing tobacco taxes ...
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 ... plans are only available for up to 3 months, and are intended to fill brief gaps in coverage. The proposed rule would extend the availability of these plans up to 364 days and provide an option for indefinite renewal – allowing them to function like permanent health insurance without ...
More Than 100 Patient and Health Care Professional Groups Express Support for Bill that Would Make It Easier for Patients to Participate in Clinical Trials
WASHINGTON, DC – August 18, 2025 – More than 100 organizations representing millions of patients with serious health conditions and health care professionals sent a letter to Congress expressing their strong support for the Clinical ... in the House of Representatives in May 2025 by Reps. Raul Ruiz (D-CA) and August Pfluger (R-FL), the bipartisan legislation would help remove cost and geographic barriers to patient participation in clinical trials. Clinical trials are key to advancing new standards of care that can improve survival and quality of life for people with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Yet, out-of-pocket costs associated with trial ...
Texas Chemotherapy Bill Signed into Law
This past Saturday, Governor Rick Perry of Texasξsigned into law House Bill 438 that requires oral chemo to be covered in the same way that intravenous chemo is covered. Cancer ... that they had good health insurance, but because oral chemotherapy was the only treatment for them and they could not afford the out-of-pocket cost, they were not receiving treatment at all. In addition to the financial burden and concern about the most effective treatment, some cancer patients were traveling hours to treatment centers to receive IV therapy when an oral chemo more targeted to their cancer can be taken in the comfort of their own home.ξThe law will beξeffective on September 1, 2011.ξ Congratulations, Texas! Texas Chemotherapy ...
Administration’s Budget Risks Reversing Progress Against Cancer
... research essential to preventing, detecting and treating cancer. The budget cuts funding for medical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by $3 billion, including a nearly $500 million cut for the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and reduces cancer prevention programs ... Department of Health and Human Services. A statement from Lisa Lacasse, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) follows: Access to Care “If implemented, the administration’s budget would leave millions more Americans unable to access ... relief for seniors by capping out-of-pocket prescription costs for those on Medicare Part D and allowing some low-income enrollees to be spared cost-sharing on generic drugs. These would be welcome changes and could help enrollees better afford their care. Research “The proposed cuts ...
This is what makes a plan affordable
You're hearing a lot of talk about making health care AFFORDABLE. So, what does "affordable" really mean? ACS CAN has outlined five key tenets to determine if legislation would make health care affordable for all Americans.ξ Legislation should include: oξξξ Caps on patientsÈ out of pocket expenses oξξξ An end to arbitrary annual and lifetime caps on benefits oξξξ Reasonable premium costs and subsidies for ...
Protecting Funding for Cancer Prevention
ACS CAN was back walking the halls of Congress to protect an important health program. Along with representatives from 40 organizations, ACS CAN met with more than 70 U.S. Representatives and Senators to discuss the importance of prevention in the fight against cancer. We made sure that officials knew that through proven ways to prevent cancer and detect it early, we can ...
Senate health care bill could harm cancer patients and survivors
We knew the Senate health care bill was bad for cancer patients and survivors, but the latest version of the bill released is shockingly worse than earlier drafts. The bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act, could be devastating to cancer patients ... raise premiums for some people with pre-existing conditions Under an amendment introduced by Senator Ted Cruz and included in the newest version of the bill, plans that don’t meet requirements in the Affordable Care Act would be sold, meaning some plans offered would not cover needed ... younger, healthier people in those insurance markets, the premiums for people with pre-existing conditions could be astonishingly high. ACS CAN joined other patient advocacy groups in sending a letter to senators expressing their deep concern for this amendment. Re-impose annual and ...
Key Healthcare Provisions Go Into Effect Today That Help Cancer Patients
Strong protections for cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones take affect today, six months after the signing of the Affordable Care Act into law. These critical provisions are helping to transform our current
sick care' system into one that focuses ... coverage Tightly restricted annual dollar limits on coverage In all new plans, preventive coverage is guaranteed and individuals will see no out-of-pocket costs for proven preventive services such as screenings for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer Health plans can no longer drop patients from coverage when they get sick Dependent children can remain on their parent's insurance policy until age 26 Children ...