2025 ACS CAN Minnesota Legislative Priorities

In 2025, more than 37,000 Minnesotans will hear the words ‘you have cancer.’ The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is committed to making sure all Minnesotans have a fair and just opportunity to prevent, find, treat, and survive cancer. In 2025, ACS CAN will work with the Minnesota state legislature in support of the following priorities:

Ensuring Access to Quality Care

• Fertility Preservation: Some cancer treatments can cause infertility, and as a result, individuals with cancer may choose to preserve their fertility prior to treatment. Failure to preserve fertility is a common regret that may affect survivors’ quality of life. ACS CAN supports legislation that would provide cancer patients with health insurance coverage for fertility preservation consistent with recommended medical guidelines.  

 “I  was 29 years old when I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. My world was turned upside down and I was forced to make so many life altering decisions in a short amount of time. One of those decisions included fertility preservation. I was completely unaware of the cost, whether or not my insurance would cover it, and if I even had time to successfully complete the process. If my insurance would have covered fertility preservation at the time of my diagnosis, that would have removed one of my most significant barriers to accessing fertility preservation. Instead of worrying about how I was going to come up with the money fast enough to both preserve my fertility and survive cancer, I could’ve put all my focus on surviving. People diagnosed with cancer shouldn’t have to choose between parenthood and survival.” - Haley, Minneapolis

• Affordable, Adequate Health Insurance: ACS CAN will advocate for policies that ensure access to
  quality, affordable and comprehensive health insurance, including preserving and expanding Medical Assistance Medicaid, supporting reinsurance, and will support efforts to curb the availability of inadequate health plans.

Improving the Lives of Patients, Survivors, and Caregivers

• Patient Navigation: ACS CAN will advocate for state legislation and policies to increase access to patient navigation, prioritizing policies that create sustainable funding to ensure patient access to navigation services across the cancer continuum.

• Palliative Care Advisory Council:  ACS CAN supports legislation to fund the Minnesota Palliative Care Advisory Council, which works to identify barriers to coordinated, supportive care during treatment of serious illnesses such as cancer.

• Reduce Patient Medical Debt: ACS CAN recognizes the impact of medical debt on people with cancer, caregivers, and their families. In addition to supporting policies that ensure affordable access to comprehensive healthcare coverage, ACS CAN will advocate for policies that prevent the occurrence of medical debt and reduce the impact of incurred medical debt on individuals and families. 

“As a four-time melanoma survivor, sometimes it feels like I’m in a constant cycle of medical debt. This year marks three years of survivorship from my most recent cancer recurrence but the financial burden hasn’t eased in the least. Whether you’re a cancer patient or survivor, the costs associated with ongoing care add up quickly: oncology appointments, scans, biopsies, ultrasounds, medication, treatment and so on. There are weeks when I must choose between filling my gas tank, buying groceries and making a full payment toward my medical bills. With payment plans, it seems that I accrue 2-3 more bills for each one I manage to pay off. Medical debt shouldn’t be a lifelong side effect of a cancer diagnosis. Cancer is enough of a burden on its own.” - Jenn, St. Paul

Cancer Prevention and Early Detection

• Breast and Cervical Cancer: ACS CAN will advocate to maintain funding for the Sage Screening Program, Minnesota’s breast and cervical cancer screening program for low-income uninsured and underinsured Minnesotans administered by the Minnesota Department of Health.

Reducing the Toll of Commercial Tobacco

• Commercial Tobacco Prevention and Cessation: ACS CAN will advocate to maintain current funding for the commercial tobacco prevention and cessation program.

• End the Sale of all Flavored Tobacco Products: ACS CAN supports legislation to end the sale of menthol cigarettes and all other flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, flavored cigars, hookah, and smokeless tobacco. The tobacco industry markets fruit and candy flavored products, including menthol cigarettes, to young people, African Americans, American Indians, the LGBTQIA2S+ community, rural Minnesotans, and other specific populations.

• Commercial Tobacco Product Regulation: ACS CAN advocates for all commercial tobacco products, including cigarettes, e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and other smokeless tobacco products to be regulated in the same manner and taxed at parallel rates.

• Cannabis: ACS CAN does not have a position on recreational cannabis and supports the need for more scientific research on the use of cannabinoids by cancer patients, and on better and more effective therapies that can overcome the often-debilitating side effects of cancer and its treatment. However, ACS CAN supports policies related to cannabis when they have a direct impact on commercial tobacco control policy, like maintaining strong clean indoor air and preserving local control on important public health policies.