The law the president is about to sign contains provisions that ACS CAN worked hard to have included on behalf of patients. Collectively, this legislation will help patients access lifesaving medications and devices that treat cancer and its side effects.
The momentum continues! In January, California became the first state in the nation to ban youth under18 from using tanning beds. In May, Vermont passed a similar lifesaving law. Just last week, Chicago became the first major U.S. city to vote to protect young people from skin cancer and melanoma by banning tanning bed use among minors.
I want to share with you some important information about a bipartisan bill advancing in the U.S. Senate that ACS CAN has been closely monitoring the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA). This is a critical bill for cancer patients and their loved ones.
I am pleased to share with you that U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) introduced a bill last week that would eliminate disparities in the federal tax rates for various tobacco products, a proposal that will increase federal revenues and save lives.
I recently returned from one of the best events ACS CAN hosts all year the State Lead Ambassador Summit. With one in every state, State Lead Ambassadors (SLAs) are ACS CAN's top ranking grassroots volunteers. They coordinate all volunteer-led work across their state.
Earlier this month, as part of National Minority Cancer Awareness Week, ACS CAN co-hosted an important briefing on Capitol Hill to discuss the importance of research and prevention in eliminating inequities among minority populations in prevalence rates of and access to health care for chronic diseases.
Imagine that you dropped your car off at a service station for what you thought was a free oil change. You return an hour later to be informed that while the service was underway a small problem was found and repaired (with no input from you), and you now owe $250. How would you take this news? This is the predicament that a number of people face every day due to an oversight in existing Medicare regulations.
Sometimes we understand things intellectually but not always emotionally. Sometimes reality needs to touch us in a more visceral way to be effective. The CDC's new ad campaign, Tips from Former Smokers, features real-life stories of people who have suffered from the harmful effects of smoking. It helps us to understand more fully the real impacts of smoking.
March is National Nutrition Month, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to share some of ACS CAN's efforts to reduce overweight and obesity, which are proven to cause cancer.
Yesterday was an incredible day at ACS CAN we held our first-ever National Forum on the Future of Health Care and it was a huge success! The conference focused on how to ensure that people living with cancer and other chronic diseases have access to quality health care.