Empowering patient voices through voter registration
While roughly 83% of adults in the United States will visit a health care provider in the next year, an estimated
News
3-14-13 Affordable Care Act Update
March 22, 2013
Policy Update
ACS CAN National Forum on the Future of Health Care
ACS CAN convened lawmakers, providers, insurers, patients, and other stakeholders Tuesday at its second annual National Forum on the Future of Health Care at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Speakers examined central issues around the improvement of health care delivery in this country, including the breadth of private sector innovation in health care delivery, the changing role of the patient in the delivery system and the path forward to delivery reform.
Nearly 200 attendees and members of the media heard discussion and perspectives on delivery reform issues from ACS CAN CEO John Seffrin and a distinguished group of external experts including U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), U.S. Representative Michael Burgess (R-TX) and former CMS Administrator and FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan. Panelists and presenters provided attendees with information about innovative models of care that are already being implemented by private sector companies, in public sector programs such as Medicare, and in numerous states across the country.
The discussion confirmed that the way health care is delivered in this country must be improved, that delivery reform has the potential to significantly improve the patient experience, and that providers, insurers, and patient representatives will need to work together to support meaningful delivery reform that improves quality and controls costs.
State Update
Tobacco Rating
ACS CAN has been providing guidance to field advocacy staff in the form of talking points and model testimony on the tobacco use penalty under ACA, also known as tobacco rating. This week, RJ Ours, ACS CAN State Government Relations Director in Colorado, was able to get commitments from both the governor's office and the insurance commissioner that they will exercise the flexibility granted to states under the ACA to eliminate or reduce the tobacco rating in both the individual and small group markets. In both markets, the tobacco penalty will be lowered to 1.15:1 from the 1.5:1 ratio allowed in the law, a move that could ensure that fewer tobacco users in Colorado are priced out of the health insurance market and forced to go without health care.
The attached letter that was sent to the state insurance commissioner used excerpts from the model testimony that began the process in Colorado and led to this impressive achievement.
Draft tobacco surcharge Commissioner Riesberg letter 3052013.docx
As always, thank you for all you do every day to support laws and policies that help cancer patients and their families.
Chris Hansen | President
ACS Cancer Action Network | American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Inc.