In two historic votes, the U.S. House of Representatives tonight passed health care reform legislation that includes several provisions that meaningfully improve the health care system for cancer patients, survivors, and their families. Although the bill is not perfect, it meets the reform priorities of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action NetworkSM (ACS CAN) specifically to:
1. Increase the emphasis on disease prevention, such as by reducing or eliminating out-of-pocket costs for lifesaving cancer screenings,
2. Guarantee all Americans access to quality, affordable health care, regardless of whether one has a pre-existing health condition, and
3. Emphasize patients’ quality of life, such as by ensuring access to treatment for pain.
The broader bill, which was passed by the U.S. Senate in December, now goes to the White House for the president’s signature. A smaller package of improvements to that bill moves to the U.S. Senate, which will debate the improvements this coming week before scheduling a vote as soon as next weekend. If the Senate passes the improvements, the president has pledged to sign them into law.
Taken together, the legislation’s enactment could mark the most important piece of social legislation for our nation in more than 40 years. It also would constitute a major step forward in the American Cancer Society’s overall efforts to improve access to care across the country, an initiative that began in 2006 when the Society’s Board of Directors endorsed nationwide goals calling for sweeping reductions in the number of people who are uninsured or cannot afford the out-of-pocket costs for lifesaving care.
ACS CAN succeeded in strengthening the legislation during the months-long debate, but what passed the House could have been stronger still for cancer patients, survivors and their families. ACS CAN is already preparing to support efforts to strengthen a new law, oppose efforts to weaken it, and ensure that it is implemented in the most effective way possible for those with cancer and their families.
Unfortunately, the bill and the legislative process for passing it have been criticized as politically partisan. Opponents of the legislation have been running advertisements across the country in an effort to convince lawmakers to vote against it, and those efforts will undoubtedly continue this coming week. But through the long war of words, ACS CAN has been singularly focused on whether the provisions of the legislation would meaningfully improve the health care system for cancer patients. ACS CAN has consistently encouraged bipartisan support for meaningful health care reform, and as a nonpartisan organization, ACS CAN’s ultimate goal has been to ensure that people with cancer are no longer denied lifesaving treatment, charged far more than they can afford for critical care, or issued insurance plans that are inadequate to meet their needs.
After well over a year of debate, the country now stands on the cusp of the most significant improvement in the nation’s health care system in decades. Thanks to your efforts and those of our volunteers, Congress and the President have taken a major step toward strengthening the health care system for people with cancer and their families.
As always, thank you for all you do to make our lifesaving work possible.
John R. Seffrin, PhD | Chief Executive Officer