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This Week in Health Care Reform

Note: This update will also cover the House of Representatives passage today of the FY10 Labor-HHS Appropriations legislation which provides funding for National Institutes of Health, the ... including coalition efforts, grassroots activities, direct lobbying to both congress and the administration, and media advocacy efforts, ACS CAN continues to work very aggressively in support of the policy changes that are so important to cancer patients and their families.  Key actions ... as the House Tri-Committee bill.  The prevention provisions in the HELP and House Tri-Committee bills include: Requiring coverage and reducing cost-sharing for evidence-based clinical prevention services in government and private insurance plans, including the elimination of cost-sharing ...

Something New

Much of the current health care reform debate is a rehash of issues that have been argued for many years -- government vs. private insurance, insurance ... incomprehensible to virtually everyone, even those of us who work on these issues. When we buy something major such as a car or an appliance, we can get all kinds of information about its performance and quality, and we use such information to make an informed decision about what product is ... and a viable private health insurance market, people need consumer informationŠ—”information that the can easily understand at little or no cost. As Pollitz recommends, we need something much like the nutrition label on food products, a label that provides meaningful and comparable ...

New York State Senate Votes to Remove Barriers to Biomarker Testing

... Medicaid, when patients need it. This legislative victory came several hours after the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) hosted cancer patients and survivors at the Capitol to honor National Cancer Survivors Day.   Biomarker testing has revolutionized cancer treatment over the last few decades and is increasingly important in the treatment of other conditions, providing access to targeted treatment and tailoring care to a person’s individual disease. Targeted therapies often result in improved quality of life and survivorship. For example, patients with certain lung cancer types who received biomarker testing and then a targeted therapy saw a 31% ...

NJ Assembly Financial Institutions & Insurance Committee Votes to Improve Access to Biomarker Testing

... Financial Institutions & Insurance Committee voted to improve New Jerseyans’ access to biomarker testing, advancing Assembly Bill 4163 out of committee. Championed by Assemblymembers Shavonda Sumter, Gary Schaer and Shama Haider, the proposal would ensure biomarker testing is covered ... Senate. The following is a statement from Quinton Law, Government Relations Director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) in New Jersey: "Biomarker testing and precision medicine are helping extend and improve lives by tailoring care and treatment to a person’s individual condition. Over the past few months, we have heard countless stories of the challenges patients face in attempting to access this important testing. It’s time for that to change.” "This legislation addresses a ...

Cancer Fighters Travel to Sacramento to Make Cancer a Priority

... - Nearly 150 cancer patients, survivors and caregivers from across the state traveled to the Capitol to request support for a sweeping series of tobacco-related bills to keep youth from smoking, curb tobacco-related healthcare costs and fund tobacco prevention and cessation programs. The visit is part of the annual American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Day at the Capitol. An estimated 30 percent of cancers are caused by tobacco, which kills a total of about 16,000 Californians annually. “My ...

Iowa Falls Short on Tobacco Tax Rates, Cancer-Fighting Public Policies

... to fall short when it comes to passing legislation that prevents and reduces suffering and death from cancer. According to the latest edition of How Do You Measure Up?: A Progress Report on State Legislative Activity to Reduce Cancer Incidence and Mortality, Iowa failed to measure up to policy recommendations in nearly all areas of tobacco control, including cigarette taxes. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network released the report today.   The 17 th edition of ... than 1,000 kids in Iowa newly begin a tobacco addiction every year,” said Danielle Oswald-Thole, Iowa government relations director for ACS CAN. “We know that we can save lives by raising the state’s cigarette tax rate by a significant amount, but we’re still waiting for our ...

Wisconsin Legislative Session Ends with Mixed Record on Cancer Policy

Statement from American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Wisconsin Government Relations Director Sara Sahli MADISON, Wis.  – “As lawmakers close the 2023/2024 legislative session, their policies on easing the burden of cancer are decidedly mixed for the nearly 40,000 Wisconsinites who will be diagnosed with cancer this year. “After years of advocacy from volunteers, caregivers and medical professionals, we were thrilled to see the Assembly vote to create a palliative care advisory ...

Proposal Aimed at Improving Health Outcomes for Mainers Secures Overwhelming Support from Voters

... Committee on Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services will consider LD 1577. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) urges Committee members to support the bill, which aims to expand coverage for biomarker testing—when medically appropriate—to Mainers insured through state-regulated health plans, including Medicaid.   Biomarker testing is a tool utilized by physicians across a variety of specialties to connect patients to the right treatment at the right time. It has become a game-changing part of cancer care by opening the door to targeted treatments that can lead to improved survivorship and quality of life. Despite the proven benefits ...

Survey: Cancer Patients Report Paid Leave Improves Their Ability to Complete Treatment, Manage Symptoms and Mitigate Financial Hardship

Washington, D.C., December 14, 2017 —The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) released a first-of-its-kind survey today assessing the impact of paid medical leave on cancer patients, survivors and caregivers. The survey of more than 800 people affected by cancer revealed those with paid ...

State Law Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Takes Effect September 1

... United States Preventive Services Task For ce (USPSTF) guidelines released this past May. Most significantly, the recent law also removes out-of-pocket costs for patients needing a colonoscopy following a positive non-invasive screening test, making Texas the latest of just 6 states ... is the second most common cause of cancer deaths among men and women combined in the U.S. as well as in Texas and is one of the few cancers that can be prevented through screening. In 2021, it’s estimated that over 11,000 Texans will receive a colorectal cancer diagnosis and an estimated ... of how strong, lifesaving public policy is integral to reducing the burden of cancer. We congratulate Texas for being a leader in eliminating cost sharing for patients needing a follow-up colonoscopy following up a positive stool-based test. “Everyone should have access to colorectal ...

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