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ACS CAN testifies before Congress about protecting affordable health insurance for cancer patients
January 29, 2019
“Enactment of the ACA [Affordable Care Act] has allowed Americans with cancer and other serious conditions access to the care they need,” said Keysha Brooks-Coley, the vice president of federal advocacy at ACS CAN, during a hearing on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning.
Keysha was invited by the House Ways & Means Committee to testify about how lawmakers can build on the patient protections in the ACA and protect further erosion of those protections.
This year, nearly 1.8 million Americans are expected to be diagnosed with cancer, and over 15.5 million Americans are cancer survivors.
For these Americans, access to affordable, quality health insurance can be a matter of life or death.
Prior to the ACA, cancer patients and others living with serious illnesses or pre existing conditions could be denied health insurance coverage as cancer was considered a preexisting condition.
However, since the ACA was passed, “Those with comprehensive insurance are now enjoying new protections that make health care coverage more reliable and more affordable,” Keysha said in her testimony.
As Congress considers changes to the ACA, it is important that lawmakers maintain the protections in the law relied upon by so many cancer patients.
“Unfortunately, recent executive orders, legislative proposals and regulatory actions are putting some of these important protections at risk,” Keysha said during her testimony. “As a result, the patient community is having to respond to policy changes that are chipping away many of the critical protections that were included in the law.”
Keysha concluded her testimony by saying, “We urge the Committee – and the Congress – to find bipartisan solutions that benefit patients. Such a process must ensure that individuals with pre-existing conditions are protected from discrimination, that essential health benefits are maintained, and that coverage is made affordable for individuals.”