Letter: Bill supports biomarker testing
This letter originally ran in the Lincoln Journal Star.
News
New Poll Results on Cancer and Health Care Cost
May 20, 2009
New Poll Reveals Many Cancer Patients Struggle to Afford the Care They Need Due to Gaps in the Health Care System
A new American Cancer Society Cancer Action NetworkSM (ACS CAN) poll of families affected by cancer reveals that one in four people who have been diagnosed with cancer has delayed care in the past year due to costs, and nearly a third of people under age 65 who have been diagnosed with cancer has been uninsured at some point since their diagnosis.
The poll also found that more than 40 percent of those surveyed reported having had difficulty paying for health care costs in the past two years. Moreover, one in five adults with cancer or a history of cancer reported using up all or most of their savings on health care. One in seven said they had been at least thousands of dollars in medical debt as a result of the high costs of health insurance, prescription drugs, co-pays, and/or medical bills. The poll, which was conducted May 1-11, 2009 among adult cancer patients, cancer survivors, and the immediate family members of people who have been diagnosed with cancer, underscores the need for comprehensive health care reform that ensures access to quality, affordable care for all Americans.
ACS CAN released the poll results today at a press event held in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC as part of a lobby day to highlight the need for urgent Congressional action on health care reform. The lobby day is the latest effort in ACS CAN’s campaign to enact comprehensive health care reform, a critical part of the Society’s and ACS CAN’s joint Access to Care initiative. Information about the lobby day can be found in the May 18 Media Alert:
A press release on the poll and lobby day was distributed to national media outlets today. The release, which features quotes from Society and ACS CAN CEO John R. Seffrin, PhD and ACS CAN president Daniel E. Smith, can be found in the Communications Materials Library (CML) and in the Access to Care community. A poll report and template press release are also available in the CML and in the Access to Care community on the for those who wish to promote the poll in local media markets.