The president’s proposed 2018 budget, would decrease the National Institutes of Health budget by 21 percent, decrease the National Cancer Institute budget by 25 percent, cut the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s chronic disease program by nearly 20 percent and reduce Medicaid funding by more than $600 billion.
Congress reached a deal on the 2017 budget that reflects a broad, bipartisan commitment to reducing cancer-related death and suffering in our country through increased research funding and continued funding for critical early detection and prevention programs.
A rule change intended to help stabilize insurance markets created by the Affordable Care Act, restricts patients’ access to special enrollment periods, reduces the number of Essential Community Providers and lessens the actuarial value of some insurance plans sold in the marketplace—leaving patients vulnerable to higher out-of-pocket costs
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network today released its first report examining the costs of treating cancer, and specifically patients’ out-of-pocket expenses. The report found U.S. cancer patients paid nearly $4 billion in out-of-pocket costs in 2014 and the disease cost the country $87.8 billion in cancer-related health spending.
In a friend-of-the-court brief filed today with the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania in the case of Lora Jean Williams et al. v. City of Philadelphia et al., leading groups working to improve the health of communities provide scientific evidence of the severe consequences of sugary drinks and their impact in Philadelphia.
Several of the nation’s leading patient organizations sent a letter to Congress today stressing the importance of protecting guaranteed access to comprehensive and affordable insurance coverage for patients with pre-existing health conditions.