TOPEKA, Kan. – April 5, 2019 – Today, the Kansas House of Representatives approved a bill to allow for the sale of inadequate health products like Association Health Plans and plans proposed by the Kansas Farm Bureau. In response, Jordan Feuerborn, Kansas government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, issued the following statement.
“As an organization dedicated to reducing suffering and death from cancer, ACS CAN stands opposed to any health plans that could discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions or increase the number of uninsured or underinsured patients. The plans allowed for in this bill would not provide adequate health insurance coverage to Kansans.
“In other states, Farm Bureau plans feature pre-existing condition waiting periods or calendar year maximums for prescription drug coverage. And because AHPs are exempt from covering the essential health benefits required under the federal health care law, their beneficiaries are often left underinsured. But cancer doesn’t wait for its victims to find other health insurance. We must ensure no Kansan experiences a gap in their coverage or costs they can’t afford.
“We can never go back to the day when cancer patients couldn’t get health insurance coverage due to their disease. ACS CAN urges Gov. Kelly to veto this legislation.”
About ACS CAN
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is making cancer a top priority for public officials and candidates at the federal, state and local levels. ACS CAN empowers advocates across the country to make their voices heard and influence evidence-based public policy change as well as legislative and regulatory solutions that will reduce the cancer burden. As the American Cancer Society’s nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN is critical to the fight for a world without cancer. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
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