Following today’s health-Medicaid budget hearing, more than a dozen cancer survivors and ACS CAN advocates gathered at the New York State Capitol to call on lawmakers to preserve access to biomarker testing, a priority shared by over 100 organizations statewide. Advocates also expressed hope that the one‑house and final budgets will include meaningful investments in cancer prevention and early detection.
Ahead of the press conference, survivors and advocates distributed flyers to policymakers and attendees, urging them to oppose a proposed roll back of Medicaid coverage for biomarker testing, a tool that helps physicians understand a tumor’s unique characteristics and can guide personalized, targeted treatment.
Among the advocates present was Colette Smith, a lung cancer survivor from the Bronx who credits biomarker testing with unlocking key parts of her treatment 11 years ago.
“Biomarker testing gave my doctors a roadmap for how best to treat my cancer,” said Smith. “We should not be creating two separate tiers of coverage between Medicaid and private insurance and, with them, two very different survivorship outcomes. The New York I know does not accept a system where a patient’s chance of survival depends on their insurance type.”
Just last January, landmark legislation passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Hochul, took effect, extending biomarker testing access to millions of New Yorkers. The Executive Budget proposal would reverse this gain for health equity by eliminating coverage criteria for Medicaid, potentially jeopardizing coverage for millions of New Yorkers, prompting fear particularly among those residents who rely on Medicaid.
“Medicaid was my lifeline and the reason I am alive,” said Stacey Betler, a 17-year breast cancer survivor. “Limiting biomarker testing coverage for Medicaid, exclusively, takes aim at the most vulnerable patients who already face countless barriers to their care. As someone who still relies on Medicaid and faces the risk of recurrence, I’m asking lawmakers to reject this proposal outright.”
ACS CAN senior government relations director Michael Davoli, who provided testimony during the hearing, said, “It is rare to see the level of broad consensus that New York achieved in 2023 around expanding access to this game-changing tool. Cancer survivors from across the state are urging lawmakers to come together once again to preserve that progress and reject this proposal, leaving it out of the one-house and final state budgets.”
In addition to their message on biomarker testing, advocates highlighted the importance of sustaining investments in proven cancer prevention and early-detection programs, including New York’s Tobacco Control Program and Cancer Services Program.
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About ACS CAN
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) advocates for evidence-based public policies to reduce the cancer burden for everyone. We engage our volunteers across the country to make their voices heard by policymakers at every level of government. We believe everyone should have a fair and just opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. Since 2001, as the American Cancer Society’s nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN has successfully advocated for billions of dollars in cancer research funding, expanded access to quality affordable health care, and advanced proven tobacco control measures. We stand with our volunteers, working to make cancer a top priority for policymakers in cities, states and our nation’s capital. Join the fight by visiting www.fightcancer.org.