Washington, D.C. – July 1, 2010 – The administration today launched a new high-risk pool program that will offer coverage in every state for uninsured people with pre-existing conditions. The new program was created by the Affordable Care Act to offer health coverage to people with cancer and other pre-existing conditions who have been uninsured for at least six months. Details about the program were posted on a government web portal, www.healthcare.gov, that launched today.
A statement from John R. Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), follows:
“The new high-risk pool program will give at least hundreds of thousands of uninsured people with cancer and other pre-existing conditions access to health care. For the first time, every state will be required to offer its own high-risk pool or the new federal high-risk pool, and to begin enrolling eligible people with pre-existing conditions and no insurance.
“This temporary program won’t be able to enroll everyone who needs it, but it begins to provide coverage to a very vulnerable population that has not been able to access affordable coverage in the past. This program is an important first step toward transforming the health care system to one that provides meaningful coverage to all Americans.
“ACS CAN has been working to make existing high-risk pools accessible and affordable to people with cancer, and will continue to work toward that end with the new pools.
“Healthcare.gov offers consumers something they've never had in the health insurance marketplace - a transparent, one-stop site where they can compare benefits and services, and find the insurance options that work best for them.
“Research by the American Cancer Society has shown that lack of access to care can lead to later stage diagnoses, and that people with private insurance have better chances of surviving cancer than people who are uninsured. Access to quality health care is critical to defeating cancer, which kills an estimated 565,000 people each year.”
ACS CAN, the leading voice of patients in the health care debate, is working to ensure that the Affordable Care Act is implemented as strongly as possible for cancer patients, survivors and caregivers. For more information, visit https://www.fightcancer.org/healthcare.
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.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Steven Weiss or Alissa Havens
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Phone: (202) 661-5711 or (202) 661-5772
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
