WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 19, 2009 – After months of negotiations and weeks of floor debate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is calling on senators to invoke cloture and pass health care reform legislation this year so that House and Senate conferees can begin working on a strong final product for patients.
In a letter to Senate leaders, ACS CAN, the advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, said the proposed legislation includes a number of strong provisions that would significantly improve the health care system for cancer patients by refocusing the system to emphasize prevention; guaranteeing quality, affordable coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions; reducing the cost burden on families; eliminating lifetime coverage limits; covering routine health costs for those who enroll in clinical trials; and emphasizing patients’ quality of life.
The letter commends the Senate for significantly improving a provision on annual benefit limits in the manager’s amendment, an issue that is critical to cancer patients and their families. The new provision ensures coverage of essential health benefits until the health insurance exchange is set up and bans annual coverage limits in all plans beginning in 2014, thereby providing financial protection for patients with serious health conditions should they face major medical expenses.
“As the leading voice of patient advocates in the debate, ACS CAN raised concerns about the negative impact of annual benefit limits on many cancer patients, and the Senate and White House responded,” said John R. Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer of ACS CAN. “Eliminating caps on both annual and lifetime limits in the Senate bill means families affected by cancer would no longer have to choose between lifesaving care and their life savings. We continue to urge senators to put patients before politics and to keep the process moving toward comprehensive health care reform so we can dramatically improve the lives of all Americans.”
ACS CAN states its hope in the letter that the bill will be further strengthened by House and Senate conferees to make quality coverage more affordable for low- and middle-income families, and provide uninsured people in dire need of care immediate access to high-risk plans. Making improvements is contingent on the legislative process moving forward to conference.
ACS CAN will continue to work with lawmakers from both parties to make sure that a final bill works for cancer patients, their families and the 11 million cancer survivors in this country.
ACS CAN volunteers across the country have been holding rallies and other events to let their elected officials know how important health care reform is to cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones. ACS CAN volunteers have also made more than 100,000 communications to lawmakers since June, and nearly 3,000 calls and e-mails are expected into Senate offices in the coming week in support of meaningful health care reform.
“Cancer patients know first-hand the gaps that exist in the broken health care system,” said Robert E. Youle, a cancer survivor and volunteer chair of ACS CAN’s Board of Directors. “If we fix the system for cancer patients, it should work for anyone with a serious or chronic illness.”
For more information about ACS CAN’s efforts in support of health care reform, visit https://www.fightcancer.org.
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.
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