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... legislature sent a $1.60 cigarette tax increase to Governor Mark Dayton 's desk that will reduce smoking rates, save lives and prevent thousands of kids from becoming addicted smokers. The increase, which the Governor is expected to sign in the coming days, will take effect July 1, 2013 and ... decreasing health care spending, said John R. Seffrin, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). Not only does a tobacco tax save money and lives, but it ultimately reduces the cancer burden in a state and creates a stable and predictable ... tobacco products is estimated to be more than $434 million in the first two years. Combined with at least $1.65 billion in long-term health care cost savings from the cigarette tax, the increases will have a tremendous positive impact both on the state budget and for health care consumers in ...

... and survivors are opposing the amendment to health care reform legislation offered by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) because it would not ensure no-cost preventive services for women. "Eliminating co-pays, deductibles and other cost sharing for preventive services is essential to expanding access to mammography and other life-saving screenings and preventive services. "ACS CAN strongly supports improving the process for determining recommendations for preventive services by making the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force more transparent and accountable to the public, and by giving the Secretary of Health and Human Services the authority to consider evidence-based guidelines developed by other groups as the basis for coverage of preventive ...

Policy Update On November 30, the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) published a draft rule that proposes standards for the Multi-State Plan Program (MSPP). The Affordable Care Act (ACA) ... make more health plans available to consumers and to increase competition, particularly in states where there are currently fewer choices. ACS CAN and other patient and consumer groups have been advocating for multi-state plans that operate on essentially the same basis as other plans in a ... related to policies such as risk adjustment, reinsurance and risk corridors programs, advance payments of the premium tax credit, and cost-sharing reductions. Although the proposal is very technical, the matters addressed are critical to stabilizing prices and ensuring policies ...

... reform will continue. The bill will be voted on by the full House after the August recess. The bill would go a long way to help meet the needs of families touched by cancer by making it easier to access preventive services, guaranteeing that no one will be denied coverage because of health ... conditions and invests in prevention,” said John R. Seffrin, Ph.D., chief executive of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). “Today’s vote represents a major step forward, and ACS CAN will be working with lawmakers to strengthen the legislation for cancer ... poll conducted for ACS CAN found that one in four families affected by cancer has had to put off or delay care in the last year because of cost. “Cancer patients with insurance across the country are digging deep into their savings and facing financial ruin to pay for their treatment ...