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Lawmakers Rally with Patient Advocates to Improve Access to Biomarker Testing, Highlight Personal Connections to Disease
... to support legislation improving Pennsylvanians’ access to biomarker testing. Biomarker testing has become a game-changing part of patient care given its role in opening the door to targeted treatments that can lead to improved survivorship and quality of life. Senate Bill 954 and House Bill 1754 represent a bipartisan proposal to ensure comprehensive biomarker testing is covered by all state-regulated health plans, including Medicaid, when medically appropriate. “I, like too many, have a family history of cancer. My father was diagnosed at a ... fighting cancer if I were to be diagnosed. Because I was screened, tested and received my baseline PSAs in my thirties, I can stay on top of my health,” said Senator Devlin Robinson, co-prime sponsor of Senate Bill 954 . “If someday I do get the dreadful news of cancer, I will have ...
2025 Pennsylvania Legislative Priorities
... Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) will work with the Pennsylvania General Assembly in advancing three priority areas: ensuring access to quality care, cancer prevention and early detection, and reducing the toll of tobacco. We ask for your support of the following fact-based policies: ... high-risk patients. Prescription Drug Affordability: ACS CAN supports legislation which restricts the use of copay accumulator adjustments in health insurance plans. We will also advocate for legislation that ensures third party prescription drug copay assistance is counted toward ... to maintain funding of $2.563 million for Pennsylvania’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, within the Department of Health. This program serves low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women across the state, connecting them to lifesaving screening. Reducing ...
Donna Greco Joins American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network to Lead Government Relations in Pennsylvania
... on behalf of sexual assault survivors, she found herself working at the intersection of traumas, including cancer and a lack of access to health care. Greco brings with her a distinct expertise in policy development and grassroots organizing. ACS CAN is the nation’s leading cancer advocacy ... advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN has successfully advocated for billions of dollars in cancer research funding, expanded access to quality affordable health care, and advanced proven tobacco control measures. We’re more determined than ever to stand together with our volunteers to end cancer as ...
ACS CAN Names Watson PA Government Relations Director
... post, Watson will oversee advocacy efforts promoting evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. Before assuming this position, Watson spent four years as the Grassroots Advocacy Manger for ACS CAN, implementing advocacy ... and federal legislative priorities across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Before joining ACS CAN she worked on National Institutes of Health grants for the Penn State University College of Medicine and Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute. “Pennsylvania is facing crucial health care issues, including the need to protect all of our residents from the dangers of tobacco products,” said Bill Sherman, managing director of ...
Expand Access to Biomarker Testing in Pennsylvania
... partners are working together to make sure more Pennsylvanians can benefit from this important testing. What is Biomarker Testing? In cancer care, biomarkers are often used to help determine the best treatment for a patient . A “ biomarker ” is a sign of a normal biological process, ... that have been excluded, including communities of color, individuals with lower socioeconomic status, rural communities, and those receiving care in non-academic medical centers are less likely to receive biomarker testing. Improving coverage for and access to biomarker testing across insurance types is key to reducing health disparities. Insurance coverage for biomarker testing is failing to keep pace with innovations and advancements in treatment. Without action ...
Congressman Fitzpatrick Receives National Distinguished Advocacy Award for Championing Lifesaving Cancer Public Policy
... of patients and survivors,” said Lisa Lacasse, president of ACS CAN. “We are very grateful for his steadfast commitment to improving public health and look forward to continued partnership as we work to address the burden of cancer for families across the country.” Congressman ... Caucus and is the lead Republican cosponsor of the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act, and a cosponsor of the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act. For the past two years he has advocated strongly for increased funding for the National Cancer ... “We need members of Congress who understand how important effective legislation is to improving health outcomes for those fighting cancer,” said ACS CAN Pennsylvania Government Relations Director Emma Watson. “We’re proud to recognize ...
Philadelphia Facility Providing Housing for Cancer Patients Made More Accessible through Efforts of Local Lawmakers
... patients, who reside more than 40 miles away, a free stay and a private, nurturing and homelike environment while they receive the quality care they need to survive and thrive. Donna Greco, Pennsylvania Government Relations Director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network ... significance of the investment. “While we strive to eradicate cancer we need places like Hope Lodge to continue providing a high standard of care to more patients. I am so thankful to be able to help secure the necessary funds that Hope Lodge needed to build this accessibility ramp so ... advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN has successfully advocated for billions of dollars in cancer research funding, expanded access to quality affordable health care, and advanced proven tobacco control measures. We stand with our volunteers, working to make cancer a top priority for policymakers in ...
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s Legislative Priorities for 2018 in Pennsylvania
... As lawmakers return to work after the holiday season the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is looking ahead to what public health initiatives can be accomplished in 2018. Pennsylvania has a long way to go when it comes to tobacco control issues. Each year in Pennsylvania 6,000 kids under the age of eighteen become new daily smokers, 22,000 adults die from their own smoking and annual health care costs in Pennsylvania directly caused by smoking are $6.38 billion. ACS CAN has solutions. After the legislature, last year, decided to take ...
ACS CAN Calls for Passage of Legislation to Make It Easier for Cancer Patients and Others to Access their Medications
... treatment. Forcing patients to visit their pharmacy several times each month and requiring multiple drug copays can be a significant barrier to care. Medication synchronization can increase adherence to treatments and improve the quality of life for cancer patients by making it possible for ... for which medications were synchronized. “I urge our lawmakers to support HB 1800 as a positive step towards patient-centered, coordinated care that can improve quality of life for cancer patients and their families.” About ACS CAN ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy ... affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people ...
Lawmakers and Community Gather to Honor Lives Touched by Cancer
... Governor Josh Shapiro signed Act 39 into law. The legislation will go into effect on January 1, 2025 and will require all state-regulated health plans, including Medicaid, to cover comprehensive biomarker testing, enabling more Pennsylvanians to access the testing that can open the ... the chance to honor them, celebrate their legacy and remind lawmakers that they, too, can honor those lost to cancer by prioritizing access to care and cancer prevention policies, like that which was recently passed in PA to improve patients’ ability to activate biomarker testing and precision medicine in their cancer care,” said American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) State Lead Ambassador Donna Kemberling. During this evening’s ceremony, ACS ...