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Polling Shows Strong Public Support for Accepting Federal Funds to Increase Access to Care Through Medicaid
... to expand their Medicaid programs. It's up to each state to make the decision for itself. Since the ruling by the high court, a geographic mix of states have been wrestling with the decision of whether to make health coverage under Medicaid available to individuals and families under 133 percent of the federal poverty level, as urged by ... We're hopeful that states still grappling with the decision will recognize the significant impact that expanding the number of people who can receive Medicaid coverage would have on low-income people suffering from serious illnesses such as cancer. That's why ACS CAN conducted a poll ...
On the Ballot in Missouri
Tuesday marks a significant day for our country as we elect officeholders at all levels of government. Voters in Missouri have another important issue on the ballot that, if passed, could potentially save 22,000 lives a proposal to ... the state's lowest-in-the-country tobacco tax. A tobacco tax increase is much needed in Missouri the tax is currently just 17 cents per pack of cigarettes, and too many Missourians (21 percent of adults) smoke. Missouri has the 39 th lowest life expectancy rate and some of the highest ... costs related to the state's tobacco use. Smoking also costs businesses in Missouri $2.51 billion in lost productivity annually. That's why ACS CAN has teamed up with several other dedicated organizations to support Proposition B a 73-cent tobacco tax increase that will save money and ...
World Cancer Day 2019: My Personal Commitment to Fight Cancer
... advocates, caregivers – to make a personal commitment to the fight against cancer. The campaign’s call-to-action “represents the power of individual action taken now to impact the future.” I take that call-to-action to heart on my first day as the president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). I’m both eager and humbled to spend World Cancer Day stepping into my new role at the helm of the nation’s leading volunteer cancer ... to make our campaign to end death from cervical cancer a national priority. Our advocates will educate federal policymakers about the proven, cost-effective interventions that can eliminate cervical cancer from our planet and ask for support in increasing access to preventive vaccinations ...
New Report: Raising Smart, Healthy Kids in Every State
Our children face two major challenges in America today: Too many children lack access to high-quality early education that can give them a strong start in life, and too many kids still smoke, which puts them on a path to serious disease and premature death. In his budget earlier this year, President Obama proposed a common-sense plan to simultaneously reverse both of these trends, and today, ACS CAN and eight other groups focused on early education and tobacco control released a report touting the significant benefits of this plan. The president's proposal would expand early childhood education across the country with a 94-cent increase in the federal cigarette ...
Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Ensuring Everyone Has Access to Lifesaving Screenings
... Month, we reflect on our efforts to reduce the breast cancer burden nationwide and continue our commitment to fighting the second leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States. An estimated 266,120 women in the U.S. are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, ... as recommended, which in part contributes to only 62 percent of breast cancers being diagnosed at an early, local stage. Getting screened early can save lives from breast cancer, but lack of health insurance poses a major barrier to breast cancer screening. Millions of low-income, uninsured ... services. ACS CAN supports policies that require insurers to cover recommended breast cancer screenings beginning at age 40 without patient cost sharing. Disparities exist across the cancer continuum, and breast cancer is no exception. The ACS CAN report Cancer Disparities: A Chartbook ...
Guest Post: Closing the Colorectal Cancer Screening Loophole
... NASCAR driver Scott Lagasse Jr has agreed to share his personal cancer story on my blog. He is a very talented and inspirational individual, who can help make a difference in our battle against a lethal disease. In so doing, he can highlight the importance of cancer awareness. As a professional athlete, I’m used to being in peak physical shape. In 2014, I was probably in the best shape of my life ... preventive screening, especially for those 50 and older who are most at risk. That’s why I am working to support ACS CAN’s efforts to remove cost-sharing barriers that prevent older Americans on Medicare from accessing their doctor-recommended colonoscopy. Congress should take quick ...
Tobacco Tax Victory in Nevada a Win for Public Health
Increasing the price of a pack of cigarettes is the most effective way to help people quit smoking and keep kids from starting the deadly habit. That's why I'm ... adult smokers and prompting more than 15,400 adult smokers in Nevada to quit. This victory did not come easily, and I have the Nevada ACS CAN staff and volunteers to thank for their tireless efforts that were instrumental in getting the $1.00 per pack tax increase passed. While the ... on cigarettes is estimated to be more than $192 million in the first two years. Combined with at least $474 million in long-term health care cost savings from the cigarette tax, the increases are likely to have a tremendous positive impact both on the state budget and for reducing health ...
Tobacco Industry Exploits Trade Agreements
There was a lot of coverage of the State of the Union last week; but, one thing you probably didn't hear a lot of talk about was President Obama's declaration to ... and make it more difficult for low- and middle-income countries to grow in the face of suppressed worker productivity and the escalating cost and toll of tobacco-related disease and death. There is overwhelming international consensus on what needs to be done to address the global ... to be offered in negotiations of the TPP free trade agreement, which promises to be one of the largest trade agreements in recent years. ACS CAN is working to ensure that negotiations will create an improved opportunity for our trade partners to also be good public health partners when ...
The Case for Increasing Access to Medicaid
As of January 2014, states have the option to offer comprehensive health care coverage to low-income, uninsured individuals through their state ... more low-income Mainers. However, Governor Paul LePage has vetoed each of these bills – vetoes the legislature has failed to override. ACS CAN has been working tirelessly in Maine to help thousands of the state’s most vulnerable residents gain the peace of mind that comes with ... with late-stage cancer and less likely to survive the disease. Too often, uninsured individuals are forced to put off needed care because of the cost. They rely on emergency rooms or free or low-cost health clinics for sporadic care. For someone managing a chronic disease such as cancer, ...
Guest Post: A Governor's Perspective
Last week, I was invited to speak about the realities of Massachusetts's health care reform at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network's National Forum on the Future of Health Care in ... success. Today, more than 98% of Massachusetts's residents have health care coverage, including 99.8% of children. No other state in America can touch that. People no longer have to fear having their insurance cancelled when they get sick, or that a serious illness will leave them ... such as a 36% decrease in cervical cancer in women. Our next big challenge is to make health care as affordable as it is accessible. Health care cost containment is a national challenge, neither caused by our reform nor unique to Massachusetts. We are pursuing a number of strategies to end ...