Increased Access to Medicaid

Share

Photograph of a breast exam with a patient and doctor.

Access to Health Care

Where you live should not determine whether you live. But, for millions of low-income Americans, the state they live in could determine if they have access to health services, including cancer care.  To date, 31 states have increased access to their Medicaid programs, providing more than nine million individuals and families access to health care coverage and to lifesaving tests like mammograms, colonoscopies and other cancer screenings. 

We are working in the remaining 19 states to reach the day when everyone has access to affordable health care.  Going to the doctor is much cheaper than going to the emergency room. And, for a family, preventing cancer is much less expensive than treating it. 

We know how to save lives from cancer.  And we know how to save money on health care costs.  Ensuring that low-income working families have access to affordable health insurance – especially during tough times – is an important first step.   

  

More than 30 states have increased access to health care through Medicaid, helping provide nine million Americans with access to lifesaving cancer care.

Latest Updates

See More Updates

Public Health Groups Urge Oklahomans to Vote ‘Yes’ on Question 802 on June 30

May 20, 2020
Oklahoma

Untold insecurities weigh heavily on many Oklahomans, and on June 30, voters can ease some of that worry by voting ‘yes’ on State Question 802.

Cancer Group Urges N.C. COVID-19 Committee to Enact Legislation to Safeguard Cancer Patients and Increase Access to Care

April 8, 2020
North Carolina

Raleigh, N.C. —In response to the N.C. General Assembly’s call for policy recommendations addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) of North Carolina, is advocating for the following: Closing the health insurance coverage gap: Expand access and eligibility to Medicaid so North Carolinians

Cancer Candor Blog

Our Nation's Health Depends on Access to Care: 10 Years of the ACA

March 23, 2020

If there was ever a time to recognize the necessity of expanding access to meaningful health coverage, it’s now.

Public Health Groups Admonish Timing of Oklahoma’s Medicaid Expansion Waiver Proposal

March 20, 2020
Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY — March 20, 2020 — Seven national organizations representing patients facing serious chronic medical conditions released the following statement regarding Gov. Kevin Stitt’s “SoonerCare 2.0” plan: “We are alarmed that Gov. Kevin Stitt released his SoonerCare 2.0 waiver application while Oklahoma, and the world, grapples

Increased Access to Medicaid Resources

ACS CAN Comments on Georgia's 1115 Demonstration Waiver

January 24, 2020

ACS CAN comments on Georgia's 1115 Demonstration Waiver.

Read more

ACS CAN Comments on Nebraska's 1115 Demonstration Waiver

January 13, 2020

ACS CAN comments on Nebraska's 1115 Demonstration Waiver.

Read more

Medicaid Section 1115 Research and Demonstration Waivers

January 10, 2020

An increasing number of states are seeking greater flexibility in administering their Medicaid programs. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) give states the opportunity to test innovative or alternative approaches to providing health care coverage to their Medicaid populations through Section 1115 Research and Demonstration Waivers (otherwise known as "1115 waivers"). States must demonstrate that their waivers promote the objectives of the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) and CMS must use general criteria to determine whether the objectives of the Medicaid/CHIP programs are met.

Read more