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

Many patients with complex diseases like cancer find it difficult to afford their treatments – even when they have health insurance.  Current law establishes a limit on what most private insurance plans can require enrollees to pay in out-of-pocket costs.  These limits protect patients from extremely high costs and are essential to any health care system that works for cancer patients and survivors.

 

High deductible health plans (HDHPs) and health savings accounts (HSAs) are becoming more common in employer-sponsored insurance and the individual and small group markets.  These types of plans have risks and features must be implemented carefully so they do not harm cancer patients, survivors or those at risk for cancer.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has helped individuals with pre-existing conditions like cancer access comprehensive health insurance and afford their care. But the law is at risk of being dismantled.