Increased Access to Medicaid

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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.

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Lawmakers Consider Funding Deal; Includes $2.6 Billion Boost for Medical Research

December 17, 2019

Congress is poised to pass a funding bill this week that includes a $2.6 billion increase for medical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The measure, agreed upon by both House and Senate conference committee members, also provides $296 million increase for the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

ACS CAN Profiles Kansas Voices of those Impacted by Medicaid Program through Launch of Digital Storybook

July 10, 2019
Kansas

Today, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network launched a collection of digital stories from individuals, families and health care professionals as part of its Medicaid Covers US project. The stories feature people directly impacted by Medicaid across several states including Kansas, as they work to take care of themselves, their families and their communities.

ACS CAN Decries Budget Cuts to Medicaid Expansion

May 9, 2019
Wisconsin

Today, the Wisconsin Legislature voted to remove Medicaid expansion funding from the state budget. In response, Sara Sahli, Wisconsin government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, released the following statement:

Medicaid Expansion

May 7, 2019
Virginia

Medicaid Covers US is a public education campaign launched by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) to foster an important dialogue about the value of Medicaid in the lives of millions of Americans and their families as well as what it means for communities across the country.

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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