Louisiana Cancer Action Center

The House and Senate unanimously passed a bill to make prostate cancer screenings more accessible this week, sending it to the desk of Gov. Jeff Landry. SB 84 would make prostate cancer screenings more affordable for patients at high-risk for the disease by eliminating patient cost-sharing. “If passed, this law would have a significant impact on prostate cancer early detection in Louisiana,” said Louisiana Government Relation Director Alice Kline. “We are hopeful Gov. Landry will sign this bill into law.”

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) was pleased to see the Louisiana Medical Debt Protections Act (SB 414) pass the House Committee on Commerce today. Recent polling data found that nearly 70% of Louisiana voters surveyed reported having current or past medical debt. Louisiana ranks in the top ten states for proportion of people with medical debt in collections, at 18.1%.

Survivors, caregivers and advocates from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) gathered at the Capitol this morning for Cancer Action Day, where they met with lawmakers. Their goal: ease the burden of medical debt for all cancer patients.

As the Louisiana legislative session continues to move forward, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) urges legislators to prioritize passing legislation to ease the burden of medical debt on Louisianans and make prostate cancer screenings affordable for at-risk populations.