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New Surgeon General's Report Calls for Tobacco End Game
13 cancers and more than 20 other chronic diseases and the number of tobacco-related illnesses continues to grow. Tobacco use is wreaking havoc on the health of our nation, and today the Surgeon General's report added more diseases, including colorectal and liver cancers, to the list of conditions that can be caused by smoking. If there was ever a wakeup call about the need to make tobacco control a priority, this is it. This morning at a White ...
Senators Introduce Tobacco Tax Equity Bill
... in the federal tax rates for various tobacco products, a proposal that will increase federal revenues and save lives. The Tobacco Tax Equity Act of 2012 equalizes tax rates on all tobacco products, including pipe tobacco, cigars and smokeless tobacco. Lower federal tax rates on these products than on cigarette tax rate have harmed public health by encouraging use of lower-taxed tobacco products, and cost federal and state governments more than $1 billion in revenue since 2009. Why is this the case? When the federal cigarette tax was last ... consumption. Sens. Durbin, Lauthenberg and Blumenthal have taken an important step toward reducing the toll of tobacco on our nation. ACS CAN, along with our partner organizations, strongly support this legislation that will save lives. *Photo retrieved from: http://bit.ly/L3v5b7 ...
A Major Opportunity in California to Save Lives
... - a battle that, if won, could save more than 100,000 lives, $5.1 billion in healthcare costs and protect nearly 230,000 kids from the dangers of tobacco. Proposition 29, the California Cancer Research Act, is a ballot initiative that would establish California as the largest source of ... $40 million into spreading lies about Prop. 29 because they know that tobacco taxes are an effective way to prevent kids from smoking. As ACS CAN CEO John Seffrin and Lance Armstrong stated in a recent Los Angeles Daily News op-ed , research shows that every 10 percent increase in the price of tobacco reduces youth smoking by 6.5 percent. A $1 increase in the cost of cigarettes will result in 228,000 fewer California kids becoming addicted smokers - giving them a fighting chance against cancer and ...
Supreme Court Decision a Victory for Cancer Patients
To quote John Seffrin, chief executive of the American Cancer Society and ACS CAN, today will go down as one of the most important days in the history of the fight against cancer in this country. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled ... needed to prevent and treat a serious condition such as cancer Provide proven preventive services, such as mammograms and colonoscopies, at no cost to patients Establish online marketplaces in every state where patients can easily compare quality health plans and choose the one that ...
Guest Post: Checking in on the PCIPs
By Sabrina Corlette and Erin Reidy As the second anniversary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) approaches, we decided it was a good time to check in with the call center specialists at ... approximately 45,000 people enrolled nationwide. The programs must accept people who have been rejected by commercial insurance companies, and can't charge a higher premium because of someone's pre-existing condition. The programs must cover a broad range of benefits, including primary and ... dramatic difference in premiums between the PCIP program and previous state options. In Texas, for example, the PCIP premium is roughly half the cost of the existing Texas program for high-risk individuals, even though the state imposes a pre-existing condition exclusion for a full ...
How Does Your State Measure Up on Policies to Fight Cancer in 2015?
How does your state measure up on policies to fight and prevent cancer? Chances are not well. According to a new edition of the ACS CAN report How Do You Measure Up? released today, most state legislatures are missing opportunities to enact laws and policies that could not only ... movement toward the benchmark. Red shows where states are falling short. This year, the best any state did was receive a green rating in six of the nine priority areas, and 25 states have reached the benchmark in only three or fewer areas. Put simply, this is unacceptable. While it's ...
Understanding Your Health Benefits
Like many of you, I find health insurance benefits to be difficult to interpret. Every time I've enrolled in an insurance plan, I]'ve been presented with a long, complicated benefit summary full of industry jargon. That's why I'm happy to share that starting this week, insurers are required under the Affordable Care Act to present every ... should start to see these documents in November, or whenever your open enrollment period begins. As I mentioned in a post earlier this year, ACS CAN volunteers and staff were pleased with the strength of the final SBC rule. The White House received more than 3,000 communications from our ...
Massachusetts Passes Historic Tobacco Tax Increase
... tax in the country. This honor comes after the state legislature passed a $1 increase to the state's cigarette tax last week as part of a larger transportation bill. The increase will bring Massachusetts' tax to $3.51 a pack. Research has shown that significant and consistent ... way to reduce smoking rates and help prevent kids from starting the deadly habit. Just how effective will the Massachusetts tax increase be? ACS CAN estimates that the $1 increase will save an estimated 15,500 lives in Massachusetts and keep approximately 27,200 kids from becoming addicted ... a rate at least as high as cigarettes helps curb youth usage. Thirty-five people a day die from cancer in Massachusetts, and nearly 30 percent of those deaths are directly attributable to tobacco use. This historic tobacco tax increase will have a tremendous public health benefit for the ...
Palliative Care Legislation Signed in Maryland
As our campaign to improve patients' quality of life heats up at the federal level with the introduction of two important pieces of legislation , several states are making significant advances in their own efforts. On Thursday, Maryland became the ... standardized palliative care program in Maryland's hospitals and making these programs available to cancer patients and their families. ACS CAN staff and volunteers were instrumental in getting this legislation passed. ACS CAN also worked closely with partners from Johns Hopkins ...
Increasing Access to Treatment Options Through Biosimilar Legislation
Access to quality care has long been one of our top priority issues. To increase access to potentially lifesaving treatments, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) advocates for legislation that enhances access to biosimilar drugs, which offer safe and effective treatment options for cancer patients. This week, ACS CAN released new materials aimed at educating cancer patients, lawmakers and advocates on the benefits of biosimilars and highlighting ACS CAN’s continued work to advance policies that increase access to treatment options. Biosimilars are close ...