Stacy Jacobson
Senior Regional Media Advocacy Manager
2025 is the Time to Reduce the Burden of Cancer on South Carolinians
ACS CAN Calls on the Legislature to Expand Medicaid and Fund Tobacco Prevention
January 13, 2025
COLUMBIA, S.C. – As the 2025 legislative session begins Tuesday, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) urges lawmakers to support policies that will reduce the cancer burden in the Palmetto State.
ACS CAN South Carolina Government Relations Director Beth Johnson released the following statement:
“We are looking forward to working with lawmakers during the 2025 legislative session and helping them understand our state’s challenges when it comes to cancer care, including prevention and early detection. More than 450,000 South Carolinians, the majority of whom are working, don’t have health insurance and lack access to lifesaving care.
“Too many South Carolinians are caught between paying for household expenses or health care coverage. As a result, they are often forced to go without preventive care or delay critical treatments, costing our state and hospitals more money in the long-term.
“Every year, South Carolinians pay taxes to the federal government. We should bring those dollars back home, rather than send them to pay for health care in 40 other states. Closing the coverage gap is smart business for South Carolina.
“In addition, we urge the legislature to make sure $5 million from a settlement with JUUL goes directly to state programs that help with tobacco prevention and quitting resources. These programs are especially critical now, as studies show South Carolina high school students use e-cigarettes at more than double the national rate.
“Around 35,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in South Carolina each year, with nearly one-third of those people dying from the disease. These numbers can go down when lawmakers take clear, proven steps to address the issue. ACS CAN looks forward to working with them to make it happen.”
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