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House Committee Votes on Policies to Improve Health Care Affordability and Availability for Millions of Americans
... D.C.— The House Energy and Commerce Committee will vote today on legislation that would greatly improve the availability and affordability of health care for millions of Americans. The legislation—part of the broader budget reconciliation package before Congress—would create a ... Medicare enrollees, among other provisions. A statement from Lisa Lacasse, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) follows: “We welcome the committee’s action on these critical policies to help millions of people access and afford comprehensive health ... reductions in their monthly premiums, including many whose premiums were reduced to zero. This is especially important when you consider the cost of cancer treatment and care and the financial burden patients often shoulder while also trying to manage their disease or its long-term ...
Focusing on the Patient: Palliative Care Improves Quality of Life
... to be able to live well with their cancer whether that life lasts weeks, months, or years. Palliative care is the medical specialty that can help. It focuses on improving quality of life for patients with serious illness and for their families through: Îà Pain and symptom management; Îà Communication and support to help ... Îà Assistance for making transitions between care settings, such as hospital discharge and chronic care planning. People often think of palliative care as "end of life care." But itÈs not. Palliative care helps patients live better with their cancer by focusing on relieving ...
ACS CAN Wins Major State Ballot Initiatives Across the Country
Voters across the country last week approved important state ballot measures that will expand access to health care for hundreds of thousands of Americans and reduce the spread of tobacco products. Thanks to the hard work of ACS CAN and its volunteers, these new policies will help prevent and reduce the burden of cancer in our country. Where you live, shouldn’t determine ...
ACS CAN volunteer shares cancer story at U.S. Senate committee meeting
... breast cancer for a second time eight years later, she wasnÈt so lucky. Although she had health insurance, it only covered a tiny fraction of her treatment. She would have to pay out of pocket for the mastectomies and hysterectomy she needed, along with chemotherapy and most of her ... the health care laws. After telling her cancer story, Stacy told Senators that although she received treatment that saved her life, it came at a cost. She is so in debt from her medical bills she may need to file for bankruptcy this year. But, Stacy said, thanks the Affordable Care Act she can live her life with the comfort of knowing that she will have access health care in the future. I now have peace of mind knowing that, in ...
A Focus on the Patient: Ensuring Quality of Life for Cancer Patients
While the merits of comprehensive health care reform legislation are debated in the halls of Congress, ACS CAN urges lawmakers to keep patients' needs top of mind. That means including measures that improve communication between health professional and ... chronic diseases. Research proves that in addition to improving the quality of life of patients, palliative care treatment plans help reduce the cost of health care spending by lowering the number of hospital and intensive care unit visits for a patient. As the leading patient voice in the ...
Health Insurance Marketplaces Now Open For Enrollment, Cancer Patients and Survivors Can Shop For Coverage
... The marketplace will let consumers comparison shop for the best health insurance plan for themselves and their families. And, because people can no longer be denied health insurance or charged more because of a pre-existing condition, all patients and survivors who arenÈt offered health insurance through their jobs, who are self-employed or who ... to purchase affordable insurance. That means coverage for their treatment and maintenance that would have otherwise been out-of-pocket a cost that before these marketplaces too often meant individuals were forced to choose between saving their life and their lifesavings. The plans ...
ACS CAN Releases 13th Annual How Do You Measure Up Report
... would prevent cancer, reduce youth smoking, improve access to cancer care and significantly reduce health care costs. Those are the conclusions of ACS CAN's 13th annual How Do You Measure Up Report. The report, released at the recent National Conference of State Legislatures annual meeting, is intended to provide state lawmakers with accurate, evidence-based information policy approaches that can ...
Lawmakers Vote to Prohibit the Sale of Menthol Cigarettes and All Other Flavored Tobacco Products
Washington, D.C. – February 28, 2020 – In a historic vote, the United States House of Representatives approved comprehensive legislation today that would prohibit menthol cigarettes and all other flavored tobacco products. The ... passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act more than a decade ago,” said American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) President Lisa Lacasse. “Chairman Pallone and Rep. Shalala deserve a tremendous amount of credit for championing this life saving ... for seniors on Medicare when they get a routine screening colonoscopy. The Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act would eliminate cost-sharing for seniors who are hit with a surprise bill when a polyp is discovered and removed during a routine screening colonoscopy. Under ...
New Report Shows Most States Can Do More to Provide Comprehensive Tobacco Cessation Coverage through Medicaid
... released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) provided an updated snapshot of states’ Medicaid coverage for tobacco cessation. While progress has been made since the report was last released in 2014, the majority of states continue to miss opportunities to reduce tobacco-related deaths and health care costs by providing inadequate tobacco cessation coverage. ... to comprehensive coverage with no barriers. A statement from Chris Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) follows: “The release of the CDC’s report shows that while progress is being made at the state level in providing Medicaid populations ...
New ACS CAN report takes a closer look at the barriers patients face to join cancer clinical trials
Clinical trials are a critical part of cancer research. They allow cancer researchers to test and study new treatments with the goal of improving cancer care. For a clinical trial to ... in clinical research, but that only a small fraction of them end up enrolling in clinical trials due to various enrollment barriers. ACS CAN released a report this month at the organization’s annual National Policy Forum that identifies enrollment barriers and proposes ways they ... in the institution where they are being treated. Patients that do have access to a clinical trial cited other barriers to joining – including cost and logistical issues of participating and fear over medical side effects. At the National Policy Forum, ACS CAN was joined by a wide range of ...