COLUMBUS, OHIO – Today, cancer patients, survivors, caregivers and advocates from across the Buckeye State gathered at the Statehouse to meet with their elected officials during the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s Cancer Action Day. They let lawmakers know that Ohio can and must do better to reduce the burden of cancer by reducing the incidence of the disease and improving access to care.
Advocates met with lawmakers to ask them to support increasing the state’s cigarette tax by $1.50 per pack, with a parallel tax on all other tobacco products, and allocating $10 million annually to programs that prevent kids from starting to use tobacco and help those already addicted quit. Ohio has some of the highest tobacco use rates in the country and it is past time for lawmakers to take meaningful action.
“I lost my mom to lung cancer because of tobacco use, and now I’m fighting breast cancer myself. That’s why my participation in Cancer Action Day, urging our lawmakers to take action to reduce tobacco use and improve access to care, is so important to me,” Jill McFarland, Ohio cancer patient. “Far too many families have already suffered enough. It is past time for Ohio to take meaningful action to reduce the burden of cancer.”
Advocates also met with lawmakers to ask them to support House Bill 8, which will improve access to biomarker testing. This legislation will help address a significant barrier and bring the promise of precision medicine to more Ohioans, no matter their income or where they live. Biomarker testing opens the door to targeted therapies, which can benefit patients by leading to better outcomes, improved quality of life, and, in some cases, reduced costs from bypassing ineffective therapies.
Lastly, advocates asked lawmakers to support prostate cancer screening legislation, House Bill 33. This legislation will ensure that more men in Ohio over 40 who are at high risk of developing cancer will have access to the prostate cancer screening they need. This bill also removes cost barriers such as copays or other out-of-pocket expense requirements for these screenings.
An estimated 77,010 Ohioans will be diagnosed with cancer, and 24,440 are expected to die from the devastating disease this year. Those gathered at the Statehouse today are calling on Ohio lawmakers to change this by taking steps to prioritize the fight against cancer.