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

This ACS CAN report focuses specifically on the costs of cancer borne by patients in active treatment as well as survivors.  It examines the factors contributing to the cost of cancer care, the type of direct costs patients pay, and the indirect costs associated with cancer.

Current federal requirements prohibit health insurance plans from denying coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions like cancer.  These are one of several important patient protections that must be part of any health care system that works for cancer patients.

Current federal law provides life-saving coverage of cancer prevention and early detection services and programs.  These provisions are crucial to reducing the incidence and impact of cancer in the United States.  They are also crucial in helping cancer survivors remain cancer-free and lead healthy lives.