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

December 19, 2025
National

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With Congress done for the year without extending the enhanced premium tax credits that are set to expire on December 31, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) urges members of the Senate and the House to prioritize the health and wellbeing of their

December 10, 2025
National

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the deadline approaches for people to enroll in Marketplace coverage that starts January 1, 2026, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is urging the Senate and the House to come together in a bipartisan way to pass legislation extending the enhanced premium

December 2, 2025
National

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) today released results from a survey exploring the impact of the enhanced premium tax credits on cancer patients and survivors who rely on the Marketplace for comprehensive health insurance coverage.

November 17, 2025
National

Today, ACS CAN released its first "Eye on Cancer Care" piece, which focuses on the dangers of the availability of “junk plans” that fail to provide the protections and health insurance coverage that cancer patients, survivors and those at risk of the disease need.

Access to Health Insurance Resources

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Pub. Law No. 119-21) prohibits states from auto-enrolling people into Marketplace plans (regardless of whether the Marketplace is state-based or federally run).

Our latest survey finds that 86% of those receiving enhanced premium tax credits would have difficulty getting care if the credits expire at the end of 2025, and very few (25%) are aware of the enhanced credits expiring.

In our latest survey, cancer patients and survivors overwhelmingly support extending financial assistance for people who purchase health coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace by a margin of nearly 12 to 1 (72% support, 6% oppose). The survey also finds 43% would not be able to afford their plan without the enhanced tax credits, 30% would skip or delay medical care to reduce expenses, and 24% would accumulate medical debt to afford their care.