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9-1-11 Affordable Care Act Update

September 2, 2011

Federal Update        

 

Prevention and Public Health Fund

 

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced the release of more than $200 million from the Prevention and Public Health Fund to improve public health infrastructure and invest in community-based prevention programs. Awarded in nearly every state, funding will enhance state, tribal, local and territorial efforts to provide services such as tobacco cessation and increasing the public health workforce to deliver preventive care to more communities. Additional information on the recent grant announcements can be found at:

 

http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/08/20110815a.html

http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/08/20110825a.html

http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/08/20110831a.html

 

Media/Polling

 

New Poll: Majority of Uninsured Unaware of Benefits of Health Care Law

 

A new Kaiser Family Foundation health tracking poll released this week found that only about half of uninsured non-elderly Americans are familiar with the provisions of the Affordable Care Act that will benefit them. Perhaps due to the low awareness level, 47 percent of those without coverage said they do not expect to be positively or negatively affected by the health care law, and fewer than a third (31 percent) believe the law will help them get health care. The poll also found opinions of the law remain relatively the same - 39 percent of Americans have a favorable view of the law and 44 percent of Americans disapprove of it.

  

As always, thank you for all you do every day to support laws and policies that help cancer patients and their families.

 

Christopher W. Hansen

President

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN)