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

May 18, 2026
Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. – “As lawmakers close the 2026 legislative session, their record on improving cancer policy is decidedly mixed for the nearly 40,000 Minnesotans who will be diagnosed with the disease this year. “The legislature took some steps to minimize the harms to Minnesotans on Medical Assistance

May 18, 2026

Late Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a final rule on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters (NBPP) for plan year 2027. In March, the American Cancer Society Cancer

May 14, 2026
Montana

HELENA, Mont. – Montana will implement work requirements on its Medicaid expansion population on July 1, becoming just the second state to proceed ahead of the federal mandate of January 2027, per HR 1. The access to care that about 80,000 Montanans get through Montana Medicaid has led to better

May 4, 2026
Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa – Statement from Jackie Cale, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Iowa government relations director: “ACS CAN is disappointed that lawmakers closed the legislative session without passing major legislation to ease the burden of cancer on Iowans. Iowa has the 2 nd highest incident

Access to Health Insurance Resources

On July 3, 2025, Congress passed the final version of its 2025 budget reconciliation legislation. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network strongly opposed the health changes included in the bill, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates would reduce the number of people with health insurance by 10 million people by 2034 through major cuts to Medicaid and changes to Marketplace and other coverage.

ACS CAN will continue to advocate for affordable access to care for cancer patients.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Pub. Law No. 119-21) makes sweeping changes to the Medicaid program, the Marketplace plans, and private insurance.