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House Health Leaders Welcome Action to Address State’s Health Care Crisis

MONTGOMERY, AL – March 22, 2023 – Today, Rep. Paul Lee (R-86) led a special information session in the House Health Committee focused on how to address Alabama’s health care crisis and opening the conversation to discuss potential policy solutions.   The proposal marks the first public discussion by health ...

Alabama’s Health Care Crisis Worsens with Thomasville Closure

... its call for Gov. Kay Ivey to take executive action to allow the state to join 40 others in expanding access to Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act.   The following quote can be attributed to Alabama Government Relations Director Jane Adams: “The closure of Thomasville Regional ... and healthcare providers are essential community resources and partners in the lives of Alabama residents. Rural Alabamians who need immediate care will face potentially grave consequences of this predictable outcome. This is a result of the healthcare issues long present in Alabama, which ... expansion.” 0 Statement from American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Alabama Government Relations Director Jane Adams Alabama’s Health Care Crisis Worsens with Thomasville Closure ...

Alabama Residents Struggling to Find Adequate Health Care Featured in New Documentary Released Yesterday

The struggle to find access to adequate health care was the subject of a new documentary by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) that premiered to a packed house in Birmingham’s Sidewalk Cinema this evening. The short film titled “On the Edge: Health Care in Alabama” follows individuals, families, and health care professionals from across the state as they strive to take care of ...

Survey: COVID-19 Affecting Patients’ Access to Cancer Care

Cancer patients and those who’ve recently completed treatment are finding it challenging to get necessary health care in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and many are experiencing financial stress trying to afford care in an increasingly difficult economic ... services to determine if a patient’s cancer had grown or returned (20%); access to supportive services, including physical therapy or mental health care (20%); and access to surgical procedures (8%). Among just the respondents who remain in active treatment, more than a quarter (27%) ...

Alternative Medicaid Financing Proposals Could Jeopardize Cancer Care; Increase States’ Medicaid Costs

... 4, 2017 —States would likely face increased costs and cancer patients and survivors could face delayed preventive, diagnostic and curative care under alternative Medicaid financing models being considered by Congress. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) today ... enrollees.” Unlike the current system, fixed federal payments would not adjust automatically to account for increased enrollment, unexpected health emergencies or the cost of new breakthrough treatments. Instead, such financing would shift the cost to states, which would then likely ... grants and per capita caps raise serious issues about Medicaid’s ability to offer low-income Americans quality, affordable and comprehensive health care coverage, particularly for those suffering from cancer,” said Hansen. “We want governors as well as Congress to carefully consider ...

Gov. Kay Ivey Avoids Commentary on Medicaid Expansion in State of the State Address as Need for Accessible Care in Alabama Grows

... and detailing her administration’s commitment to addressing them in the upcoming 2023 legislative session.   A lack of affordable, accessible care was notably left out of the conversation despite the  threat of mass closures of rural hospitals across the state and looming growth of the coverage gap when the federal public health emergency and Medicaid continuous coverage end. An estimated 61,000 of those Alabamians disenrolled from Medicaid coverage will become uninsured, compounding the existing access to care gap that has blocked approximately 220,000 residents from affordable health care coverage.  “We’re disappointed to see Gov. Ivey fail to address the dire state of affordable care in our state – or a lack ...

ACS CAN Warns Against Dangerous Farm Bureau Bill

... coalition of 30 organizations warning lawmakers about Senate Bill 84 and House Bill 477, which would allow the sale of substandard and dangerous health plans by the Alabama Farmers Federation or ALFA. In response, Alabama Government Relations Director Jane Adams released the following statement: “We have grave concerns about the harmful effects SB84 and HB477 would have on Alabamians. The sale of substandard health plans would jeopardize access to health care and financial security for thousands of Alabamians who may enroll in them without realizing they do not offer the same coverage as health ...

Alabama Falling Short on Cancer-Fighting Public Policies in 2018

... cancer prevention efforts, curb tobacco use, prioritize the quality of life for patients and their families and increase access to critical health coverage.”   How Do You Measure Up? rates states in nine specific areas of public policy that can help fight cancer, including increased access to care through Medicaid, funding for cancer screening programs, smoke-free laws, cigarette tax levels, funding for tobacco prevention and cessation ... diseases to access legitimate pain care.   Additionally, the report offers a blueprint for how Alabama can work within the current federal health care law on state-based approaches to improve access to affordable and adequate health coverage for cancer patients and their families. It ...

Legislative Proposals Jeopardize the Safety of Cancer Patients

... individuals  – a grave concern for entities like ourselves as well as hospital systems that serve cancer patients directly. “As a public health organization dedicated to improving the lives of cancer patients and their families, the American Cancer Society requires vaccines for its ... including at ACS Hope Lodge residential facilities in Birmingham and as part of its patient transportation program, Road to Recovery. “The health and safety of our immunocompromised cancer patients as well as volunteers and staff is a top priority. Furthermore, such legislation intercepts our ability to deliver on our mission and promise to provide care for cancer patients by compromising their safety during this difficult time, placing them at a higher risk of exposure to viruses when they ...

Analysis of Marketplace Cancer Drug Coverage Shows Consumers Face Information Barriers on Cost and Coverage

Washington, D.C., February 22, 2017—Cancer patients trying to select the best health insurance plan through the market places continue to face challenges in determining prescription drug coverage and cost-sharing information ... and quantity limits - on common cancer drugs. ACS CAN recommends several policies that could improve drug coverage and transparency in any health care system. These include monitoring formularies to ensure plans are not discriminating against patients with high-cost conditions like cancer; ...

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