School started for many American children this month, but their new teachers weren't the only change on the first day - school meals got an overhaul over the summer.

IŠ—'m happy to share that starting this week, insurers are required under the Affordable Care Act to present every consumer with a Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC), a document with simple and easy-to-read information on what their plan covers and how much it costs.

A new edition of the ACS CAN report How Do You Measure Up? shows that the majority of states are not measuring up on legislative solutions to prevent and fight cancer. The report ranks where states stand on these issues that play a critical role in reducing cancer incidence and death. It measures seven specific issues.

To increase awareness of the Prevention FundŠ—'s lifesaving impact, ACS CAN released a report last week called Staying Well: Real Stories from the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which features 17 stories of state and community programs that depend on the Prevention Fund for their critical work.

If you live in D.C., you might have noticed a new ad today in a Capitol Hill newspaper like National Journal or online on a site such as The HillŠ—'s Healthwatch blog. IŠ—'m excited to announce that we launched our new advertising campaign today, which asks lawmakers to support legislation introduced last week that would expand access to palliative care.

It goes without question that our nation has made significant progress in the treatment of cancer. Today, we are saving 350 more lives per day than we were in 1990. However, as doctors focus on the treatment of a patient's cancer, the patients' comfort and concerns are frequently overlooked.

Nearly 150 cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, physicians and researchers are on Capitol Hill today urging their lawmakers to make the fight against cancer a national priority.

To quote John Seffrin, chief executive of the American Cancer Society and ACS CAN, today will go down as one of the most important days in the history of the fight against cancer in this country.

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.

Through research, we have available screening tests for the top four cancers including colonoscopy, mammography and most recently, at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center, the low-dose spiral CT scan that has the potential to identify early lung cancers.