While the public is overwhelmed by political rhetoric around the Affordable Care Act, it's less likely that people hear about the parts of the law that are having a lifesaving impact on cancer patients and survivors across the country. Take, for example, the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which is supporting evidence-based disease prevention programs in all 50 states and dozens of communities across the country. To increase awareness of the Prevention Fund's lifesaving impact, ACS CAN released a report last week called Staying Well: Real Stories from the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which features 17 stories of state and community programs that depend on the Prevention Fund for their critical work. Research shows that roughly half of all cancer deaths could be prevented if people stopped using tobacco products, had access to proven cancer screenings, ate a healthy diet, exercised regularly and maintained a healthy weight. Our report highlights how the Prevention Fund works by supporting grants for proven programs that focus on each of these prevention measures. The communities highlighted in the report represent the results we've seen nationwide since the fund was created in 2010. I want to give you two examples of the programs highlighted in the report, both of which are having some dramatic results:
I invite you to read the rest of the report to see how communities like yours are helping their residents avoid battles with serious diseases such as cancer. This report shows that with the help of the Prevention Fund, we can be successful in focusing our nation's communities on preventing disease before it occurs, rather than waiting to treat people when they get sick.
The true costs of cancer are heavy, they are deep, and they are ultimately unaffordable for many, a challenge further exacerbated by this year’s COVID-19 pandemic and spotlighted by the upcoming Supreme Court case challenging the Affordable Care Act.