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12-8-11 Affordable Care Act Update

... Medical Loss Ratio   The Affordable Care Act requires insurers to spend at least 80 percent of their premium revenue on health care claims and quality improvement costs. Beginning this year, insurers who miss the target are required to rebate the difference to policy holders. Late last week the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the final rule governing medical loss ratio (MLR) calculations, the percentage insurers spend on ... is favorable to consumers and maintains the inclusion of  insurance broker and agent fees in the calculation as administrative expenses. ACS CAN strongly supports this aspect of the rule, believing that classifying fees and commissions as administrative expenses more accurately reflects ...

6-22-12 Affordable Care Act Update

... it is expected that their term will end for their summer recess, therefore, the Court is expected to release all remaining decisions by the end of the week. As previously mentioned, ACS CAN will notify the recipients of this email as soon as there is a ruling, and follow up as soon as possible with information on the specifics of ... of ACA provisions, including the requirement that Medicare and new private health insurance plans cover preventive services with no cost-sharing for patients and an option for increased federal matching funds for state Medicaid programs that cover all preventive services with ...

9-23-10 Affordable Care Act Update

... thank you for all you do every day to support laws and policies that help cancer patients and their families. Please note:  Due to the ACS CAN Leadership Summit and Lobby Day taking place next week, there will be no  Affordable Care Act Update next week (Thursday, September 30). Key ... insurance companies from placing lifetime dollar limits on coverage , so people with cancer are not forced to pay the often high costs of their care out-of-pocket. Tightly restricting annual coverage limits , which will be phased out completely by 2014.   Guaranteeing coverage in new plans of ...

3-21-13 Affordable Care Act Update

... insurance exchange, or marketplace. Governor Mark Dayton signed the bill at a ceremony Wednesday morning. The law authorizes the development of a seven-member board of directors, with a strong provision that prevents any individual or an immediate member of their family who has had a conflict of interest during the last year from serving on the board. ACS CAN volunteers and government relations staff played an active role in the development of Minnesota's exchange. Specifically, volunteers and staff ... expansion_3.19.13.docx  100 Million Americans Receive Free Preventive Care under ACA The ACA Act provided more than 100 million people with no-cost preventive care in 2011 and 2012, according to federal health officials. The Department of Health and Human Services report released Monday ...

February 2012 Monthly Advocacy Update

CANCER RESEARCH AND PREVENTION PROGRAMS The President's Budget On February 13, President Obama released his budget for the 2013 fiscal year. ACS CAN was deeply disappointed to learn that the budget cuts funding for cancer research at the National Cancer Institute, especially as the President had singled out the importance of the issue during his State of the Union address last month. The cuts also contradict the president's previous commitment to increase cancer ... Fund.   COLON CANCER ACS CAN has endorsed critical legislation introduced recently in the US House of Representatives that would ensure that cost is not a barrier for Medicare beneficiaries in obtaining lifesaving colon cancer screenings. Read the ACS CAN press release . The "Removing ...

June 2017 State Update

State Updates ACS CAN Massachusetts will be focusing on the following issues in the 2017-2018 Legislative Session: Comprehensive Youth Tobacco Prevention: Comprehensive tobacco control legislation which would increase the age of sale for tobacco products from 18 to 21, prohibit sales of tobacco in pharmacies, add electronic-cigarettes to the state’s smoke-free ... Drug Formularies: As consumers are asked to be more savvy health care shoppers, they can only do so with accurate information.  While the cost of a drug varies significantly depending on the source, consumers who are increasingly facing co-insurance (rather than a fixed co-pay) must ...

1-4-13 Affordable Care Act Update

... Update As noted in an earlier communication, Congress passed a measure on New Year's Day to temporarily avert the most immediate consequences of the so-called "fiscal cliff." We are pleased that federal funding for cancer research, cancer prevention and early detection programs, and key ... now, and we will work to ensure that the voices of people with cancer and their families are heard as the debate continues.   Policy Update ACS CAN Submits Comments on Two Major Proposed Regulations   ACS CAN submitted comment letters last month to the federal government on the proposed ... provisions of the ACA (i.e., the employer mandate). Under the law, employers with more than 50 full-time workers must contribute to the cost of "affordable" health insurance and cover at least 95 percent of their workers or be subject to penalties. The proposed regulation lays out ...

Legislation to Increase Access to Biomarker Testing Receives Favorable Committee Report

... - Today, the Joint Committee on Financial Services reported legislation to expand access to guideline indicated biomarker testing, favorably out of committee. The bills, S.689 and H.1074,  An Act relative to patient access to biomarker testing to provide appropriate therapy , sponsored by ... Susan Moran and Representative Meg Kilcoyne, would increase access to biomarker testing for Massachusetts patients who need it, ensuring they can receive the right treatment at the right time for their disease. The following can be attributed to Marc Hymovitz, Massachusetts director of government relations for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN): “This favorable report is a great first step towards ...

Expand Access to Biomarker Testing in Massachusetts

Welcome! Biomarker testing helps connect patients with the right treatment at the right time. ACS CAN and partners are working together to make sure more Massachusetts residents can benefit from this important testing. Video of maggies_biomarker_story   What is Biomarker Testing? In cancer care, biomarkers are often used to help determine the best treatment for a patient . A “ biomarker ” is a sign of a normal biological process, disease or abnormal function that can be measured in blood, tissue or bodily fluid.  Biomarker testing  is the ...

April 2012 Monthly Advocacy Update

ADVOCACY ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT Advocacy Accomplishments 2011 Year in Review, a joint publication of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network SM (ACS CAN), is now available. This annual report provides a comprehensive summary of legislative, policy, grassroots, regulatory, litigation, and media ... an exhaustive list, the survey is rather a sampling of the most commonly used services across 10 categories mandated by HHS. No information on cost-sharing is being sought as those issues will be addressed through separate HHS regulations.     In Congress This week the House considered ...

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