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Rhode Island Getting Mixed Reviews on Cancer-Fighting Public Policies
Lawmakers Have Opportunities to Save Lives and Money Through Improving Access to Affordable Health Coverage and Tobacco Control Funding
August 3, 2017
PROVIDENCE – AUGUST 3 – Rhode Island is getting mixed reviews when it comes to supporting policies and passing legislation to prevent and reduce suffering and death from cancer. According to the latest edition of How Do You Measure Up?: A Progress Report on State Legislative Activity to Reduce Cancer Incidence and Mortality, Rhode Island measured up to policy recommendations in five of the nine issue areas ranked. The report was released today by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN).
“This 15th edition of the report shows just how far we’ve come in the last decade and a half passing policies proven to reduce suffering and death from cancer. But now is certainly not the time to rest on our laurels,” Shalini Vallabhan of ACS CAN in Rhode Island. “This year alone in Rhode Island, over 5,870 people will be diagnosed with cancer. We owe it to them and everyone at risk of developing the disease, to do what we know works to prevent cancer and improve access to screenings and treatment. This report shows lawmakers a legislative path forward to improve cancer prevention efforts, curb tobacco use, prioritize the quality of life for patients and their families and increase access to critical health coverage.”
How Do You Measure Up? rates states in nine specific areas of public policy that can help fight cancer, including smoke-free laws, cigarette tax levels, funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs and cessation coverage under Medicaid, funding for cancer screening programs and restricting indoor tanning devices for minors. The report also looks at whether a state has passed policies proven to increase patient quality of life and offers a well-balanced approach to pain medications.
Additionally, the report offers a blueprint for how Rhode Island can work within the current federal health care law on a state-based approach to improving access to affordable and adequate health coverage for cancer patients and their families. It outlines opportunities to increase provider network adequacy, protect patients from surprise costs and increase access to care through Medicaid—and details the negative financial and human impact if Rhode Island fails to take action in these areas. For example, currently 31 states have increased access to health coverage through their state’s Medicaid program, as allowed through current law.
Additionally, How Do You Measure Up? highlights other policies proven to prevent diseases like cancer including recommended requirements for physical education and physical activity in schools.
Passing and implementing the policy recommendations in the report would not only save lives in Rhode Island, but also save millions in long-term health care costs and in some cases would even generate additional, much-needed revenue.
A color-coded system classifies how well a state is doing in each issue. Green shows that a state has adopted evidence-based policies and best practices; yellow indicates moderate movement toward the benchmark and red shows where states are falling short.
How Rhode Island Measures Up:
Cigarette Tax Rates Green
Smoke-free Laws Green
Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program Funding Red
Medicaid Coverage of Tobacco Cessation Services Yellow
Indoor Tanning Device Use Restrictions Red
Increased Access to Medicaid Green
Pain Policy Green
Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Funding Red
Access to Palliative Care Green
“As advocates, we have the opportunity to work with our state legislators on implementing policies and programs that prevent and treat cancer, particularly when it comes to full funding the states tobacco control program” said Vallabhan. “Together, we can build stronger, healthier communities and ensure Ocean Staters have access to measures that prevent disease before it occurs, ultimately saving more lives from cancer.”
Nationally, the report finds that increased access to health coverage through Medicaid is the most met benchmark, with 32 states, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam, having broadened Medicaid eligibility to cover individuals under 138 percent of the federal poverty line. Smoke-free legislation is the second-most met benchmark with 26 states, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands, considered “doing well.”
To view the complete report and details on Rhode Island’s grades, visit www.fightcancer.org.
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
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