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Guest Post: Giving the Stamp of Approval to Breast Cancer Research
Breast Cancer Awareness Month may be winding down, but we shouldn't look at the end of the month as an opportunity to turn our attention elsewhere. While we have made many strides in our ability to better understand how to detect and treat breast cancer, it remains the second leading cause of cancer death in women. ACS CAN will continue to advocate for improved access to proven screenings and treatments through adequate funding of the Breast and Cervical Cancer ...
Guest Blog: ACS CAN Volunteer Joins HHS Secretary for Families Week Teleconference
I am pleased to share the following guest blog from Amy Wilhite, an ACS CAN volunteer from Marblehead, Ohio, caregiver to her a cancer survivor daughter, Taylor, and courageous advocate for access to meaningful healthcare for cancer patients and survivors. This afternoon, Amy joined Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius to discuss the ACA's critical patient protections and the importance of obtaining coverage by ... a disease such as cancer. The law also means I can get my annual mammogram, and others can get recommended prevention like a colonoscopy at no cost to us. Living in northern Ohio, we are no stranger to those who question the benefits of the law. But my family won't shy away when ...
Hundreds of Cancer Advocates Head to Capitol Hill; Urge Congress to Prioritize Cancer Fight
This week marks one of my favorite times of year: ACS CAN’s annual Leadership Summit and Lobby Day. Nearly 700 cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones from all 50 states, Puerto ... PhD, from the Stanford Cancer Institute – about the impact of inadequate federal funding on promising research projects. Tuesday, ACS CAN advocates will begin the day with a special rally led by Division I college basketball coaches. The coaches – Ron Hunter of Georgia State ...
Our Nation's Health Depends on Access to Care: 10 Years of the ACA
Undoubtedly, our community is facing unprecedented times as we navigate the current coronavirus pandemic. As we always will, ACS CAN continues to support and advocate on behalf of people living with serious illnesses, like cancer, to ensure they have access to the care they need to protect their and their families’ ... populations at heightened risk if infected with the novel coronavirus, by increasing federal support for Medicaid spending and extending no-cost testing to all patients, regardless of insurance type or status, among other vital steps; the bill passed out of the Senate and was signed ...
President’s Proposal on Drug Affordability
Last week the president introduced a proposal to rein in the cost of prescription medications in the U.S. I commend the administration for prioritizing an issue that so acutely impacts those who have been diagnosed with cancer. ACS CAN is reviewing the proposal closely, as drug therapies play an integral role in cancer treatment. Access to affordable prescription drug ...
Closing the Chronic Disease Gap in Minority Populations
Earlier this month, as part of National Minority Cancer Awareness Week, ACS CAN co-hosted an important briefing on Capitol Hill to discuss the importance of research and prevention in eliminating inequities among minority ... to discuss the scientific evidence and factors contributing to the disproportionate impact of chronic disease on minority populations, and the cost of doing nothing to address it. While we're making progress in the fight against cancer, many racial and ethnic minority groups continue ...
Advocates Join Forces and Push Congress to Pass Critical Colorectal Cancer Bill
Joint post between ACS CAN President Chris Hansen and Fight Colorectal Cancer President Anjee Davis ACS CAN and Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC) teamed up today on Capitol Hill to draw attention to colorectal cancer and the role public policy plays in helping reduce the second-leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. for men and women combined. Advocates started their day hearing from a variety of speakers including several members of ... most treatable—or can be prevented by removing polyps before they become cancerous. Colonoscopies are proven to save lives, but evidence shows cost sharing can deter people from getting screened. While routine screening colonoscopies are supposed to be free for seniors on Medicare, a ...
South Dakota Improves Access to Treatment Options Through Biosimilar Legislation
Last month in South Dakota, ACS CAN advocated for legislation to enhance patient access to biosimilar drugs, which offer safe and effective treatment options for many diseases including cancer. Biosimilars are close copies of a biologic therapies tested to ensure they produce the same clinical result as the original drug. Biosimilars increase competition and choice ... patients undergoing treatment for cancer and other chronic conditions. Throughout the legislative process, ACS CAN staff testified in support of a bill that would allow for pharmacists to substitute an interchangeable biosimilar, as long as patients are properly notified and a record of ...
Angelina Jolie Op-Ed on Genetic Breast Cancer
Actress Angelina Jolie published an op-ed in the New York Times today that has caught the eye of the cancer community nationwide. In her column she explains in intimate detail her choice to undergo a preventive double mastectomy, which has ... the Affordable Care Act requires all new insurance plans to cover the costs of counseling and testing for breast cancer risk tests that can be unaffordable for many women at more than $3,000 (which Ms. Jolie acknowledged in her op-ed). That means women can access no-cost genetic counseling and BRCA testing that can help inform important conversations between patients and their doctors about their cancer risk. ...
States Grossly Underfunding Tobacco Prevention Programs
... this year states will collect a record $25.7 billion in revenue from the 1998 tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes? This is an incredible amount of money that states could be using to save lives and reduce health care costs by fighting back against our nation's tobacco epidemic, but they're not. According to an annual report ACS CAN released today with several other public health organizations, states will spend less than two percent of this settlement money on programs to ... cessation and prevention programs that have set back the nation's efforts to reduce tobacco use. These programs are not only lifesaving, but cost saving. By investing in tobacco prevention states can save millions in reduced tobacco-related health care costs, which total $96 billion a ...