JUNEAU, Alaska -- With Alaskans facing soaring health insurance costs and thousands at risk of losing lifesaving coverage, volunteer advocates of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) call on lawmakers to use the 2026 legislative session to preserve access to Medicaid in the state.
“Geography should not play a role in a person’s ability to prevent, detect or treat cancer,” ACS CAN Alaska Government Relations Director Emily Nenon said. “Alaska faces unique health care challenges, and we have had great success in developing and implementing Alaska solutions to Alaska problems. Programs like telehealth and mobile screening services have helped save lives.”
Medicaid and Medicaid expansion are important tools in the fight against cancer, providing access to lifesaving cancer screenings for early detection, treatment and follow-up care survivors require. Medicaid expansion allows Alaskans who might otherwise have gone without to get screened for cancer and cancer patients access to chemotherapy, radiation and prescription drugs they couldn’t otherwise afford.
Cuts at the federal level and state budget issues place these programs – and countless Alaskans’ health – at risk. Since Alaska expanded Medicaid, the uninsured rate has significantly decreased, covering those who otherwise could not afford private insurance through the Marketplace and providing access to quality, comprehensive insurance and health care. This coverage is especially crucial to rural and lower-income residents and the health care systems serving them, some of which could face closure because of Medicaid cuts.
Advocates will also ask legislators to protect and restore funding levels for Alaska’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Program, which strongly aids cancer prevention efforts. The prevention, cessation and education efforts funded by the program prevent kids from starting to use tobacco and help those already addicted to quit, but funding has been decimated in recent years and the health of Alaskans relies on it being funded at appropriate levels. Cancer is the leading cause of death in Alaska and over 28 percent of cancer deaths in Alaska are due to smoking.
ACS CAN encourages individuals, businesses and organizations that are interested in getting involved in the fight against cancer to visit https://www.fightcancer.org/states/alaska