Governor Josh Shapiro presented his state budget to the legislature yesterday, outlining his vision for the coming fiscal year. In his budget address, Governor Shapiro proposed to maintain funding for key cancer prevention and detection programs and acknowledged health care costs and price transparency as a continued area of interest, which secured high praise from patient advocates concerned over the role cancer plays in limiting Pennsylvanians’ financial mobility. Advocates are hopeful that the budget negotiation process yields progress on additional health care affordability issues, including Pennsylvanians’ access to paid leave, medical debt relief and lifesaving medications.
“Concerns around the cost of living pervade everyday life for most Pennsylvanians. For those with cancer, the financial weight of everyday decisions can be crushing. Pennsylvanians need state leaders to intervene and prevent the costs of care from trending upward and potentially trapping them in a lifetime of medical debt. Commitments to increase affordability and institute greater transparency around health care costs, like those made by Governor Shapiro in his proposed budget, are needed by patients across the care continuum,” said Donna Greco, Government Relations Director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) in Pennsylvania.
Governor Shapiro proposed to continue funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programming, utilizing moneys from the Tobacco Settlement Fund and tobacco tax revenue to sustain the fact-based, statewide work that discourages tobacco use uptake among Pennsylvania’s youth and empowers adults to quit tobacco. Advocates are concerned that due to the fluctuations in the overall funds, the tobacco prevention and cessation program could see a decrease. Yet, they remain confident in the program’s ability to help Pennsylvanians dodge disease and keep the door closed on exorbitant health care costs. ACS CAN looks forward to working with the governor and legislature to maintain funding for this lifesaving program.
The Governor also set the budget for the Pennsylvania Breast & Cervical Cancer Education & Early Detection Program (PA BCCEDP) at $2.563 million. Investing in routine screening programs, like the PA BCCEDP, ensures that more patients are diagnosed at early-stages, which are associated with lower health care costs, and able to avoid advanced stage diagnoses and the more daunting physical and financial realities that come with them.
Advocates were heartened to see Governor Shapiro commit to build on his work around health care affordability through increased price transparency and are hopeful that budget negotiations produce similar steps to address another issue exacerbating the burden of disease for Pennsylvania families: lack in access to paid family and medical leave. In his budget address, Governor Shapiro emphasized the importance of developing Pennsylvania’s workforce and addressing their health care needs, both of which the Family Care Act aim to achieve.
“The new year and new budget provide an opportunity to build on existing progress and forge a new path to give Pennsylvanians—with and without disease—the best chance at a healthy, affordable life,” said Greco. “We at ACS CAN look forward to our continued partnership with the Governor and General Assembly as we work to advance Pennsylvanians' access to cancer prevention, early detection, treatment and survivorship. More specifically, we are hopeful to see progress in the early detection and treatment of breast and cervical cancers along with efforts to address the crippling financial weight of a cancer diagnosis.”
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About ACS CAN
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) advocates for evidence-based public policies to reduce the cancer burden for everyone. We engage our volunteers across the country to make their voices heard by policymakers at every level of government. We believe everyone should have a fair and just opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. Since 2001, as the American Cancer Society’s nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN has successfully advocated for billions of dollars in cancer research funding, expanded access to quality affordable health care, and advanced proven tobacco control measures. We stand with our volunteers, working to make cancer a top priority for policymakers in cities, states and our nation’s capital. Join the fight by visiting www.fightcancer.org.