Colorado ACS CAN Accomplishments 2010-2017

ACS CAN Colorado State and Local Advocacy Accomplishments 2010-2017    

2010

• As supported by ACS CAN, the Colorado Legislature passed a bill that requires health insurance companies who provide coverage for intravenous chemotherapy to also provide coverage for newer types of oral chemotherapy agents, furthermore requiring that insurance policies provide those benefits at an out-of-pocket cost to the patient that is no costlier than IV chemotherapy under that patient’s policy.

2011

• ACS CAN successfully advocated for the adoption of a bill to create the Colorado Health Benefit Exchange Board, thus moving forward the process of creating a state insurance marketplace under the Affordable Care Act where quality, affordable insurance will be available for low income Coloradoans.

2012

• With support from ACS CAN, the Colorado legislature adopted legislation expanding the Breast and Women’s Reproductive Cancer Tax Checkoff fund to benefit a broader range of cancers.

2013

• The Colorado General Assembly and Governor responded to ACS CAN advocates by adopting a bill that greatly increased access to the state’s Medicaid program for childless adults in accordance with the federal Affordable Care Act provisions.

2014

• With strong support from ACS CAN, the Colorado General Assembly passed, and the Governor signed, a bill renewing the state’s breast and cervical cancer early detection and treatment program for another five years.

2015

• ACS CAN was successful in advocating for a bill providing new liability protections to pharmacies participating in Karen’s Law - the state’s Cancer Drug Repository Program, a key development to encourage better participation by retail pharmacists statewide in the program.

2016

• Gov. John Hickenlooper signed the FY 2016-2017 long appropriations bill, that included a provision for the expansion of the age of women who are eligible for cervical cancer screening from the current 40 to 64 years of age, to 21 to 64 years of age.

2017

• We were successful in opposing two pieces of legislation that would have weakened the Colorado Clean Indoor Air law and allowed smoking of marijuana in public indoor places.