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Federal agency considering proposal that could raise cost of health coverage for cancer patients and survivors

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is currently considering a proposal that could significantly increase the cost of health care for cancer patients and survivors. The proposal would allow insurance companies to expand the sale of a niche insurance product called ...

House Stimulus Package Would Expand Access to Health Coverage, Increase Medicaid Funding and Eliminate Medicare Patients’ COVID Costs

... he  U.S. House of Representatives will   vote  tonight  on a package of legislative proposals aimed at addressing numerous pandemic-related health, research and economic relief needs.  T he bill  includes  provisions that would  create a  two - month  special enrollment period for  people who are uninsured to enroll in  private  health  coverage through the federal health  exchange ,  and   provide an  increase in federal  Medicaid  funding  to  support ... frightening during a pandemic.   The special enrollment period and increase d  Medicaid funding will help ensure more people can get the care they need when they need it.   “ Eliminating COVID-19 associated cost   sharing for Medicare enrollees ,  including for any possible ...

Tobacco Use Among U.S. Veterans is Nearly Double the National Average; Legislation Could Help Lessen Health Burden

... help reduce that burden is through implementation of comprehensive smoke-free environments. A bill (H.R. 1848  and S.2119 ) making all Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities smoke-free passed the House last spring.  We urge the Senate to pass its bill (S. 2119) as soon as ... all VHA facilities would ensure sick and disabled veterans are no longer subjected to the dangers of secondhand smoke while receiving medical care and would provide a more supportive environment for veterans who are trying to quit tobacco use to do so successfully. “Tobacco use remains ... for these individuals who have sacrificed their lives to protect and defend Americans. As a nation we must do more to improve and protect the health of our veterans, especially from the dangers of tobacco use. Providing a smoke-free VHA system is an important step in the right ...

COVID19: Patient advocates speak out against increasingly restrictive health insurance processes amid pandemic

... prioritize HB 1194 (SB 920). If passed, the bill would curb restrictive prior authorization and step therapy (fail first) practices imposed by health insurers. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many states and insurers have temporarily lifted these restrictions in an effort to provide greater access to care. However, patient advocates are warning the issue goes much deeper than our present environment. Prior authorization and step therapy are ... cancer. For more information please visit www.fightcancer.org.    1 1 COVID19: Patient advocates speak out against increasingly restrictive health insurance processes amid pandemic ...

Governor Hochul Signs Game-Changing Legislation Aimed at Improving Health Outcomes, Quality of Life for New Yorkers

... Bill 1196a / Assembly Bill 1673a into law, securing a major win for patients across New York. The new law will require all state-regulated health plans, including Medicaid, to cover comprehensive biomarker testing, which will enable more New Yorkers to access precision medicine ... lower costs for patients facing cancer and other serious illnesses.   “ACS CAN is proud to see New York, a longstanding leader in health equity and medical innovation, join thirteen other states that have recently enacted similar legislation,” said Lisa Lacasse, President ... treatments, giving patients a better chance of living longer, healthier lives.” Biomarker testing has become a game-changing part of cancer care given its role in opening the door to personalized care, including targeted treatments that can lead to improved survivorship and quality of ...

ACS CAN Files Comments on Lifetime and Annual Limits Provisions of the Affordable Care Act

... D.C. – August 27, 2010 – The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) today filed comments with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on the interim final rule that bans lifetime and annual limits in the Affordable Care Act. The comments build on an already strong rule in an effort to define what essential benefits will apply to the ban on monetary limits; ... individual market plans who exceeded plan limits in effect prior to the law’s passage have the same right to regain benefits as those in group health plans.  ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and ...

Cancer Advocates Urge Gov. Kelly to Veto Legislation that Leaves Patients Vulnerable to Inadequate Health Plans, Higher Expenses

Topeka, Kansas – March 29, 2022 – Today, the Kansas Senate passed Senate Bill 199, which would expand access to inadequate health plans that can avoid patient protections required by federal law. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) opposes increasing the availability of short-term limited duration (STLD) health plans because they often deny coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions -- including COVID-19 --, choose to not cover services ... out-of-pocket expenses, can have higher deductibles and may not cover essential health benefits such as prescription medication and maternity care. The following is a statement from Megan Word, government relations director for ACS CAN in Kansas: “Everyone deserves access to quality and ...

New Report Highlights Big Tobacco’s Dangerous Attempts to Co-opt Promising Public Health Policies to Serve Their Own Agenda

... In fact, 51 out of the 88 age of sale bills introduced in 2019 included provisions that advance tobacco industry interests rather than public health . “It is critical that our lawmakers act to end the youth e-cigarette epidemic and protect our kids from all tobacco products that ... must live up to their responsibility to protect our kids by ensuring that the tobacco 21 policies they pass are designed according to public health best practices and are not being used as a stalking horse to advance the tobacco industry’s interests.” The special section, Tobacco 21: ... to health coverage. The report grades states in eight specific areas of public policy that can help fight cancer: increased access to health care coverage through Medicaid, passage of quality of life (palliative care) policies, implementation of balanced pain control policies, smoke-free ...

ACS CAN Volunteers Rally to Tell Congress that Affordable Cancer Care is Past Due

... cancer is past due. In Wisconsin, volunteers gathered at a local dairy farm to share their personal stories about being unable to afford cancer care and the incredibly high cost of prescription drugs for cancer survivors. In New York City, ACS CAN volunteers rallied outside of Senator Chuck ... dedicate so much time to this very important issue: after all, 2.2 million low-income Americans currently lack access to quality, affordable health insurance. That’s because 12 states refuse to expand Medicaid, despite research that links Medicaid expansion to improved cancer outcomes, reduction of health inequities, and access to early detection services. The negotiations currently underway in Congress have the potential to save lives – and ...

ACS CAN to Congress: Cancer Patients and Survivors Are Counting on You to Protect Their Access to Health Coverage

... Office (CBO), would result in $1 trillion cuts to Medicaid and cause nearly 12 million people to become uninsured with no other affordable health insurance options. In addition to the largest Medicaid cuts in history, the bill weakens protections in the Affordable Care Act Marketplace and makes it more difficult and expensive to obtain and keep health insurance coverage. The following is a statement from Lisa Lacasse, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS ...

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