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
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5-10-12 Affordable Care Act Update
May 11, 2012
Federal Update
This week the House considered the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act, which would cut mandatory funding for a number of health-related programs authorized in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), as well as make cuts to the Medicaid program. ACS CAN, the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association sent a joint letter to all House members opposing the repeal of mandatory funding currently set aside to promote prevention and public health, as well as funds to establish state-based health insurance exchanges. Read the ACS CAN press release.
Additionally, ACS CAN opposes provisions in the legislation that would erect barriers to access to care for low- and moderate-income families by repealing repayment caps for subsidized insurance purchased on state exchanges. Certain provisions also would roll back requirements to maintain coverage for millions of people with disabilities and severe chronic illnesses on Medicaid who don't have other ways to receive adequate and affordable care. There are no plans for the Senate to vote on this legislation.
State Update
This week's edition of Health Affairs includes an article detailing why states should limit the number of plans offered in their exchanges. One of the lead authors is Rosemarie Day, a former deputy director of Massachusetts' health exchange, who believes consumers prefer to select from a small number of carefully vetted plans than a large number of plans of widely varying quality and cost. These findings are consistent with what has been found in the Medicare Prescription Drug Program, Medicare Advantage and Medigap markets.
States have looked closely at Massachusetts and Utah, the only two states that had exchanges in place before the ACA's passage. Utah takes a passive approach and allows all health insurance products in its state exchange, while Massachusetts employs an "active purchaser" model that gives the state exchange the ability to negotiate directly with insurers. ACS CAN supports the active purchaser model and has been encouraging states to adopt it.
New Study Shows a Decade of Decline in Access to Health Care
The percentage of adults with insurance coverage who recounted an "unmet medical need" doubled to reach 10 percent from 2000 to 2010, according to a new Health Affairs study. Insured adults who chose not to seek medical care due to costs rose from 4 percent to 7 percent over the same period. Additionally, nearly one-third of the 41 million uninsured U.S. adults postponed getting care because of cost in 2010, up from 25 percent in 2000. The study emphasized the importance of the ACA to expanding coverage and improving access for all Americans.
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.