2025 Kansas Legislative Priorities

Ensuring Access to Quality Care
More than 300,000 people in the United States die from cancer each year because they lack access to affordable, adequate, quality care and treatment, and millions of others are forced to skip lifesaving care or spend their savings to pay for it.

• Medicaid Expansion: ACS CAN will advocate for low-income individuals and families to have access to comprehensive health insurance coverage and non-emergent medical transportation services through state Medicaid programs. We will support policies that preserve funding and access to Medicaid for low-income parents and adults including changes to Medicaid that reduce coverage, benefits, eligibility, or quality of care and improvement of Medicaid systems. ACS CAN will advocate for Medicaid expansion in states that have not increased eligibility up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level.
• Affordable, Adequate Health Insurance: ACS CAN will advocate for policies that ensure access to quality, affordable and comprehensive health insurance including Medicaid and will support efforts to curb the availability of inadequate health plans.

Cancer Prevention and Early Detection
Cancer screenings significantly impact cancer diagnosis by enabling early detecton of cancers in individuals without symptoms, leading to better treatment outcomes and increased survival rates when cancers are caught at earlier stages.

• Breast and Cervical Cancer: ACS CAN will advocate to maintain funding for the Early Detecton Works Program, the state breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment program for low-income uninsured and underinsured women administered by the Department of Health and Environment.

Reducing the Toll of Tobacco
Tobacco use is the leading cause of cancer death and disease in the United States. In 2024, the annual cost of health care in Kansas directly linked to smoking is $1.31billion. Effective tobacco control policies are necessary to reduce tobacco use in the state and prevent young people from becoming addicted.

• Tobacco Cessation and Prevention: ACS CAN will advocate to maintain state general funding for fact-based, statewide tobacco prevention and cessation programs and for policies that make tobacco products harder to access and less affordable to buy for all Kansans.

Local Control
ACS CAN supports the authority of local governments to pass local policies that go beyond state laws to help families be healthy, safe and secure. Policymaking at the local level allows innovation and creative problem solving that builds on local strengths and addresses local needs. ACS CAN will oppose legislation that restricts the freedom of local leaders to best serve your shared constituents.