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Advocates to Maine Lawmakers: Don’t Cave to Big Tobacco’s Pressure Tactics

AUGUSTA – MARCH 21, 2024 - Today, Maine lawmakers will vote on LD2028,”an Act to Amend Certain Tax Laws," a bill submitted by the Department of Financial Services to make technical changes to the tax laws in Maine. While in committee, the bill was weakened when language to tax tobacco ... health advocates are urging lawmakers instead to support the minority report on LD2028, which clarifies the tobacco products tax definition of "tobacco products" to include any product that contains tobacco or nicotine.   The following statement can be attributed to Julia MacDonald, Maine director of government relations for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN):   ...

2-16-12 Affordable Care Act Update

... both the president's 2013 fiscal year (FY 2013) budget, and the payroll tax extension legislation that Congress is debating this week. The goal of the Fund is to refocus the health care system on early detection and disease prevention through innovative and integrated methods at the ... and local levels.   The payroll tax extension bill compromise includes a major cut to the Fund, approximately $5 billion dollars to pay for the cost of the bill which includes a provision that would use the money to reimburse doctors who treat Medicare patients.  The bill is expected to pass the House and Senate later this week. ACS CAN sent letters to the conferees last month urging them to protect the Fund.   The President's FY 2013 Budget proposal would also redirect money ...

OPED-Health care reform that's good for Maine

... pay an extra $1,100 per year in premiums to support a broken system with 46 million uninsured. And soaring costs harm the competitiveness of American businesses in the global economy and eat up a larger chunk of our gross domestic product every year. We have the most expensive health care system in the world. Our country spends almost 50 percent more per ... Making matters worse, there is a severe shortage of health care providers in our state, and this number will continue to decrease unless we can develop a reimbursement system that will not drive our providers out of business and, ultimately, out of Maine altogether. In the end, we must ...

10-7-10 Affordable Care Act Update

... papers on insurance reform and the exchanges have been posted to www.fightcancer.org/healthcare/learn . The fact sheets provide brief overviews of provisions in the law that impact cancer patients. New factsheets include information on Medicaid benefits, the Indian Health Service, and ... at www.fightcancer.org/healthcare.learn .      Comments on Interim Final Rule on State Health Exchanges   On Monday, October 4, ACS CAN signed onto a consumer group letter responding to the US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) request for comments regarding the ... in the nation to do so since the Affordable Care Act was enacted. Schwarzenegger also signed a bill that supports immediate implementation of no-cost prevention in the state, rather than waiting until 2014.     Resolution on Grandfathered Plans   ACS CAN last month joined seven other ...

10-12-12 Affordable Care Act Update

... dozen governors have indicated they will expand their programs, while several others have expressed their intention to opt out. Regardless, ACS CAN anticipates a significant number of state legislatures will debate, discuss and vote on the issue during their 2013 legislative sessions.    With the assistance of ACS CAN state ... including tax credits,  premium rating reforms, and administrative simplification.  (The impact of the essential health benefits package on cost could not be estimated because too little information is available at this time.)  As always, thank you for all you do every day to support ...

December 2012 Monthly Advocacy Update

CANCER CANDOR BLOG HIGHLIGHTS See Chris' blog for a look at ACS CAN's 2012 highlights and an inspirational guest blog by Dr. Richard Deming, a member of the ACS CAN Board, about his recent experiences hiking in the Himalayas with a group of cancer survivors and care givers.   2013 PREVIEW  ACS ... increasingly relying on provider networks as a marketing tool for improving market share and controlling costs. Insurers are raising the rate of cost-sharing when participants go out-of-network for care, sometimes as high as 50 percent. Moreover, the networks sometimes change frequently as ...

6-23-11 Affordable Care Act Update

... consumers. This week the Administration released an amendment to its previous regulation on external appeals. The good news is that as a result of the regulation, virtually all people enrolled in private insurance, including ERISA self-insured plans, have the right to appeal, and the ... that were in existence before March 23, 2010 -– so called “grandfathered plans” -- and they remain largely unchanged in their benefits and cost-sharing.)                               Unfortunately, the regulation let consumers down, especially cancer patients who need to have disputes resolved quickly and fairly. Most notably, the scope of what can be appealed is limited to issues of "medical judgment.”   While medical judgment encompasses many possible disputes, the requirement fails ...

1-31-13 Affordable Care Act Update

... Medicare and Medicaid eligibility and benefits. Because Medicare and Medicaid are critical programs for patients with chronic diseases, ACS CAN is partnering with the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association to include the patient voice in the debate. The attached fact sheets have been developed that can be used to help explain the importance of the Medicare and Medicaid programs to patients with chronic disease.  Medicaid~0117.pdf  Medicare Fact Sheet~Rev0113.pdf  FDA Committee Votes ... and Texas - states that have been wrestling with the decision of whether to accept federal dollars that have been set aside to finance the cost of providing health care coverage to up to 16 million hard working, low-income individuals nationwide. ACS CAN also briefed ACS CAN field ...

ACS Advocates Lobby for Health Care Reform

Hundreds of Cancer Advocates Urge Lawmakers to Pass Health Care Now, Not Later More than 400 cancer patients, survivors, caregivers and their families from all 50 states and nearly every Congressional district united on Tuesday to lobby their members of Congress in support of comprehensive health care reform. ACS CAN hosted its annual leadership summit and lobby day this week in Washington, D.C. to urge lawmakers to focus on patients, not politics, by ...

12-14-12 Affordable Care Act Update

... the past few weeks communicating their positions on important issues, including raising tax rates for high income earners, allowing an extension of the Bush era tax rates for families earning less than $250,000 annually and proposed funding cuts in federal health programs such as Medicare ... so called "fiscal cliff".  It is possible that Members may be required to stay in town during the holidays until a final deal is struck.   ACS CAN sent a letter to President Obama and Congressional leaders in the House of Representatives and the United States Senate to protect the fight ... study also found that annual deductibles more than doubled during the same period. In short, the analysis shows that rising premiums and higher cost sharing continue to strain the budgets of middle- and low-income families. If current trends continue, the average premium for family coverage ...

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