Increased Access to Medicaid

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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

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Oklahoma Becomes 37th State to Increase Access to Health Coverage Through Medicaid

July 1, 2020
National

Oklahomans approval of Medicaid expansion will improve health outcomes and reduce cancer disparities for 200,000 citizens now eligible for health care coverage.

House Votes on Legislative Package to Improve Access to Affordable Health Care

June 29, 2020
National

Today the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on a legislative package containing provisions aimed at improving access to affordable health care, including for those with serious pre-existing conditions like cancer.

Oklahoma’s Medicaid Waiver Puts Public Health at Risk

June 24, 2020

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) submitted comments this week to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) urging the agency to reject Oklahoma’s SoonerCare 2.0 Healthy Adult Opportunity Section 1115 waiver application.

ACS CAN Submits Testimony on Policies to Reduce Health Disparities in Cancer Prevention, Diagnosis and Care

June 17, 2020
National

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) submitted testimony today to the House Energy and Commerce Committee on the topic of racial and ethnic disparities in the health care system that often result in an unequal cancer burden. The hearing is focused on disparities in the overall health care system, as well as those around COVID-19.

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.

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ACS CAN Comments on Nebraska's 1115 Demonstration Waiver

January 13, 2020

ACS CAN comments on Nebraska's 1115 Demonstration Waiver.

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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.

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