Today, the Kansas Legislature passed a bill to improve quality of life for patients with serious, long-term illnesses through expanded access to palliative care. Hilary Gee, Kansas government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network released the following statement in response:
The 2017 Legislature has adjourned without passing a tax increase on cigarettes.
The new poll also shows that Gov. Sam Brownback’s veto of the Legislature’s bill to expand KanCare is unpopular among both Republicans and Democrats.
When asked if they favored increasing tobacco taxes to help balance the budget, 70 percent of respondents said yes – with 46 percent indicating they strongly favor the proposal.
A growing majority of Kansas voters support expanding Medicaid, according to a December 2016 statewide survey.
In response to Gov. Sam Brownback’s proposals to increase cigarette tax by $1 per pack and raise the tax on other tobacco products from 10 percent to 20 percent, a broad coalition of leading national, state and local health organizations issued a joint statement.
States would likely face increased costs and cancer patients and survivors could face delayed preventive, diagnostic and curative care under alternative Medicaid financing models being considered by Congress. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) today sent a letter detailing the organization’s concerns to select governors...