2024 West Virginia Session Summary 

2024 West Virginia Session Summary     

Victory in the fight against cancer requires bold public policies that promote cancer prevention, early detection of cancer, and expand access to quality, affordable health care. Lawmakers make many decisions that impact the lives of West Virginia residents impacted by cancer and their leadership is vital to defeating this disease.

In 2024 the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) worked with the West Virginia legislature to protect access to care for patients. We also sought policies to protect kids from tobacco products and help support adults who are trying to quit. 

Ensuring Access to Quality Care

• Affordable, Adequate Health Insurance: ACS CAN helped lead efforts to prevent a Medicaid reform bill from advancing. The bill would have resulted new barriers to coverage, work requirements and other changes that would have reduced the number of West Virginians with Medicaid coverage.
• Immunizations: ACS CAN aggressively opposed legislation that would have allowed private schools to drop immunization requirements for students. After passing the legislature, ACS CAN joined other advocates and successfully demanded the Governor veto the legislation.

Reducing the Toll of Tobacco

• Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Funding: While the new state budget does not increase funding for fact-based, statewide tobacco prevention and cessation programs, ACS CAN was successful in maintaining the current program investment level.  

For more information, contact: Doug Hogan, ACS CAN West Virginia Government Relations Director 

[email protected] Phone 502.545.6299  

ACS CAN is making cancer a top priority for public officials and candidates at the federal, state, and local levels. ACS CAN empowers advocates across the country to make their voices heard and influence evidence-based public policy change as well as legislative and regulatory solutions that will reduce the cancer burden. As the American Cancer Society’s nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN is critical to the fight for a world without cancer. For more information, please visit www.fightcancer.org.