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HARRISBURG, PA – March 6, 2024 – As state lawmakers consider proposals that aim to reduce the financial impact of disease on patients and families, a new study from the American Cancer Society (ACS) shows that medical debt is associated with worse health ... status, more premature deaths and higher mortality rates. Researchers with the ACS have found that medical debt was associated with more days of poor physical and mental health, more years of life lost and higher mortality rates for all-cause and leading causes of death at the county ... food on the table for their families,” said Donna Greco, Government Relations Director for American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) in Pennsylvania. “Medical debt is bad for patients’ health, and is the leading policy priority for cancer patients and survivors . The ...

... to support funding for Pennsylvania’s Tobacco Control Programs in the new budget. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) says it is crucial, that our legislature secure $14.7 million to continue to fund this program that helps non -smokers never start and helps ... high school and adult smoking rates are above the national average! ACS CAN says our state leaders must do all they can to protect the health of state residents by passing strong tobacco control legislation. As our battle with COVID-19 continues, we must do everything in our power to ... safe—which means building strong public health infrastructure including comprehensive tobacco control measures.   As the advocacy affiliate of ACS, the ACS CAN, supports evidence-based strategies proven to reduce tobacco use including comprehensive smoke-free laws, regular and ...

... Mullins introduced House Bill 1754 to increase Pennsylvanians’ access to biomarker testing, following Sen. Devlin Robinson’s introduction of a companion bill, Senate Bill 954, in the Senate last week. A game-changing part of cancer care, biomarker testing opens the door to targeted therapy and personalized medicine which can improve patient survivorship and quality of life. This is a priority bill for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). ... do not cover the most appropriate biomarker testing. This results in some patients being forced to decide whether to pay out-of-pocket—a cost many cannot realistically afford--or go without the testing and hope the first treatment prescribed is the right one. Not all communities are ...

Elizabeth Rivera - Palmyra, Pa.  I am a four-time cancer survivor. After my last diagnosis of thyroid cancer, I developed a condition called hypocalcemia, which puts me at risk for life-threatening cardiac conditions and seizures. While I ... to get the medication I need to survive. For patients, being caught in the middle where medication is withheld or delayed is frustrating. It can also be dangerous, as each year I am forced to go without medicine for longer periods at a time. However, HB 1194 would ensure shorter prior ... are already fighting for our lives. We cannot afford to wait on insurers to approve tests or treatments ordered by doctors—as those delays can cost us precious, lifesaving time. That’s why I’m standing with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network to urge state lawmakers to ...