Access to Health Insurance

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As Congress considers changes to the Affordable Care Act, and as recently passed cuts to affordable health care take effect, we are committed to safeguarding the patient protections that are so important to cancer patients and survivors, and ensuring insurance coverage is truly affordable.  

We can never go back to the day when cancer patients couldn’t get health insurance coverage because they exceeded a lifetime limit or are denied coverage just because they survived cancer.  And, we must ensure they don’t experience any gap in their health insurance coverage and that their policies are truly affordable.

A study conducted by the American Cancer Society showed that people who are uninsured or underinsured are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer at its more advanced stages when treatment is more expensive and patients are more likely to die from the disease.

Latest Updates

January 15, 2026
Washington

OLYMPIA, Wash. – As Washington residents face soaring health insurance costs and hundreds of thousands at risk of losing life-saving coverage, volunteer advocates of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network will ask lawmakers on Wednesday to use the 2026 legislative session to preserve access to Medicaid and Medicaid expansion.

January 14, 2026
Idaho

BOISE, Idaho – As Idahoans face soaring health care insurance costs and thousands at risk of losing life-saving coverage, volunteer advocates of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network are urging state lawmakers to use the 2026 legislative session to tackle the root causes of affordability and preserve access to

January 12, 2026
South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. – January 12, 2026 – Today, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster released his 2026 budget, which included $350 million for a new facility at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. In response, Beth Johnson, regional government relations director with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), released

January 8, 2026
National

Following today’s bipartisan House vote on extending the enhanced tax credits, ACS CAN is once again calling on members of the Senate and the House to prioritize the health and wellbeing of their constituents and come together in a bipartisan, bicameral way to extend the enhanced premium tax credits immediately.

Access to Health Insurance Resources

Current federal law has several provisions that help prevent individuals and families from experiencing gaps in their health insurance coverage.  Coverage gaps can delay necessary care, which is particularly detrimental to cancer patients and survivors.  Preventing gaps in coverage is a crucial patient protection that must be maintained in our health care and insurance system.

Our latest Survivor Views survey finds nearly three in four cancer patients and survivors who rely on the marketplace for comprehensive coverage stand to lose access to lifesaving care if the enhanced premium tax credits are not extended. Additionally, one quarter of those who rely on the enhanced health care tax credits report that if the credits expire, they will become uninsured or forced into a non-comprehensive "junk" plan.

Access to affordable health insurance is crucial for individuals to receive necessary care, especially for those with chronic conditions like cancer.