TOPEKA, Kan. – May 7, 2018 – Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rejected Kansas’ proposal to implement lifetime limits on Medicaid enrollment. Hilary Gee, Kansas government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, released the following statement in response:
“As an organization dedicated to ensuring all Kansans have ongoing health coverage, we commend CMS' decision. The proposed lifetime limit on Medicaid eligibility would have been particularly threatening to cancer patients and survivors, who require regular treatment and uninterrupted health care access.
“Any disruption in care could be a matter of life or death for Kansans with serious illnesses like cancer. When timely screenings and treatment are critical to managing and surviving a diagnosis, it’s imperative that Medicaid remains an adequate, accessible option. Cancer doesn’t wait, and it doesn’t discriminate based on income or health care status.
“We thank CMS for recognizing the real dangers of Medicaid lifetime limits and for ensuring that cancer patients will be able to access these services, even into remission and survivorship. ACS CAN urges CMS to reject additional proposals in the Kansas waiver that would create barriers in the Medicaid program for cancer patients and survivors to access care. We look forward to working with the administration to keep quality, affordable health care attainable.”
About ACS CAN
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.