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7-21-11 Affordable Care Act Update
... Although little progress has been made in reaching a consensus on a path forward, Congress has been quite active this week in its pursuit of competing deficit reduction strategies. The House passed its “Cut, Cap, and Balance” bill earlier this week on a largely party-line vote. ... of Medicine (IOM) recommends that additional preventive health services for women be added to the services that health plans will cover at no cost to patients under the ACA. The list of additional preventive health services include human papillomavirus (HPV) testing as part of cervical ... that help cancer patients and their families. Christopher W. Hansen President American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) 7-21-11 Affordable Care Act Update ...
4-14-11 Affordable Care Act Update
... last week announced an agreement on a final 2011 fiscal year (FY 2011) Continuing Resolution (CR) that will fund the government through the end of September. The House of Representatives passed the CR this afternoon by a bi-partisan vote of 260-167. The Senate will vote later this evening, and the President has ... cancer screenings, tobacco cessation and community-based health programs dedicated to reversing the increasing problem of obesity. ACS CAN strongly opposes repeal of the fund. At this time, it is unclear whether the Senate will take up the measure. Read the ACS CAN press release ...
7-7-11 Affordable Care Act Update
Federal Update Medical Loss Ratio Last Thursday, a National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) task force recommended that the NAIC endorse the Access to Professional Health Insurance Advisors Act (HR 1206), which would take broker and agent commissions out of the medical loss ratio (MLR) calculation created by the Affordable Care Act. The ACA requires insurers to spend at least 80 percent of their ... MLR is clearly an important tool for consumers. The NAIC's Executive Committee meets via teleconference Tuesday to consider its next step. ACS CAN is concerned about the task force’s action and will be reaching out, along with other consumer groups, to committee members to encourage them ...
November 2011 Monthly Advocacy Update
... on Deficit Reduction, better known as the "super committee," announced it was unable to devise a deficit reduction plan that a majority of the committee's members could support. Under the Budget Control Act, the legislation that created the super committee, automatic ... be. Also important to keep in mind is that more than 50 percent of cancer patients rely on Medicare and Medicaid for their treatment. ACS CAN fought hard to prevent cuts and protect access to these programs. On that front, the lack of a super committee plan yielded a good outcome as ... 30-plus percent of the Medicare population is thought to be obese. Under the Affordable Care Act, these services will be offered without cost sharing. DRUG SHORTAGE The American Cancer Society and ACS CAN are closely monitoring the nation's drug shortage. The overall number of ...
August 2011 Monthly Advocacy Update
CANCER RESEARCH AND PREVENTION PROGRAMS On August 2, after weeks of intense negotiations among Democrats and Republicans, the president signed legislation to raise the nation's debt limit and reduce federal ... hard to predict beyond 2012 what the ultimate impact on research and other programs important to cancer patients and survivors will be. As ACS CAN continues to press forward, we will keep you apprised of further developments as they occur. During the debt limit negotiations, ACS CAN ... HHS released guidelines this week on additional preventive health services for women that should be included as health plan benefits with no cost to patients. These services include HPV testing as part of cervical cancer screening for women over 30 and annual well-woman visits. The ...
9-15-11 Affordable Care Act Update
... prohibitions on rescinding insurance after a policy holder becomes ill, lifetime and annual caps, pre-existing condition restrictions, and cost sharing for preventive services. Legislation already introduced that would repeal the medical loss ratio (MLR) provision included in the Affordable Care Act was also discussed. The MLR provision requires insurers in the individual and small group markets to spend 80 percent of premiums on medical care and quality improvement activities, and requires larger plans to spend 85 percent of premiums. ACS CAN opposes both legislative proposals because they would eliminate some of the most important consumer protections that ACS CAN advocated for in ...
9-22-11 Affordable Care Act Update
... bill. Four Affordable Care Act (ACA) related amendments were offered. The first, and most significant, would have suspended implementation of the law, prohibited the use of appropriated funds for purposes related to the law, prohibited the hiring of staff for programs authorized in the law, and restricted Center for ... in FY2012. The increase would have been paid for through a decrease in the Prevention and Public Health Fund created in the ACA that ACS CAN strongly and actively supports. The amendment failed by a vote of 7 to 23. Over the past year there have been multiple attempts to impede ACA ...
7-1-10 This Week in Health Care Reform Implementation
... state plans will likely be up and running by September 1. Applications for the PCIP will also be available starting today on a new Department of Health and Human Services website, www.healthcare.gov , with coverage to begin August 1. Funding for the program will be provided to states based on the same funding allocation that is used for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). All of the high-risk pool plans must offer individuals a standard rate, providing people with serious conditions such as cancer the same premium rate ... appeared in The New York Times. Additional information on the details of the new PCIP, as well as the state-administered high risk pool plans can be found at www.healthcare.gov . New Healthcare.gov Website As mentioned above, the new consumer web portal authorized in the Affordable ...
3-29-12 Affordable Care Act Update
Litigation Update This was a blockbuster week at the Supreme Court, which hosted three days of arguments on the Affordable Care Act, an unprecedented amount of time in the modern era which underscores the critical nature of the challenges. Although the media coverage was extensive, we wanted to provide ACS CAN's perspective. As you know, the Society and ACS CAN, along with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and American Heart Association ...
3-14-14 Affordable Care Act Update
... between patients, health care providers and health care facilities; and defines how plans must ensure provider access to rural areas. ACS CAN has submitted comments on the proposed rule and is working closely with the Office of the Washington Insurance Commissioner to ensure that the final rule provides cancer patients with essential access to oncology specialists. ... on California’s exchange have trouble determining whether or not a plan will cover their cancer treatment drug and, if so, how much it will cost. Under the proposed legislation, insurance carriers in the state exchange will be required to: use a standard formulary template to display ...