Reducing Health Disparities

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Cancer impacts everyone, but it doesn’t impact everyone equally. We are working to ensure everyone has a fair and just opportunity to prevent, find, treat, and survive cancer. No one should be disadvantaged in their fight against cancer because of how much money they make, the color of their skin, their sexual orientation, their gender identity, their disability status, or where they live.

From ensuring greater diversity among clinical trial participants to improving access to quality, affordable health care, we are asking lawmakers to reduce disparities in cancer care by advancing policies that break down existing barriers.

Black women are 40% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women overall

Latest Updates

February 14, 2023
National

Black History Month is a time to reaffirm the deep roots of Black history and culture in the United States, celebrate the diverse achievements of Black Americans, support Black communities and advance equity in all forms, and uplift Black joy. 

February 8, 2023
Wyoming

Extending postpartum Medicaid coverage is a positive step toward improving the health outcomes of women and their children in Wyoming.

February 8, 2023
Wyoming

Extending postpartum Medicaid coverage is a positive step toward improving the health outcomes of women and their children in Wyoming.

February 6, 2023
National

Ahead of the President’s State of the Union Address, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is calling on the President to emphasize the need for continued bipartisan support for increased federal investment in the fight against cancer.

Reducing Health Disparities Resources

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) is highly effective at detecting and treating breast and cervical cancer in low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women – who may otherwise not be screened. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) urges Congress to reauthorize this critical program by passing the Screening for Communities to Receive Early and Equitable Needed Services (SCREENS) for Cancer Act.

For 30 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program has decreased disparities in breast and cervical cancer deaths.

Prescription drug costs are a significant burden on cancer patients and survivors, sometimes even leading patients to miss or delay taking prescribed medications. The latest Survivor Views survey explores the role copay assistance programs can play in reducing this burden, and also addresses patient navigation and digital therapeutics.