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

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.