New Jersey Cancer Action Center

Earlier today, the New Jersey State Assembly Financial Institutions & Insurance Committee voted to move the Louisa Carmen Medical Debt Relief Act forward. A3861, sponsored by Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo, Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli and Assemblyman Herb Conaway, will now head to the Assembly floor for further consideration.

The following is a statement from Dr. Karen E. Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), on the passing of U.S. Representative Donald M. Payne Jr. (D-N.J.).

Last week, legislation that seeks to improve New Jerseyans’ access to biomarker testing was introduced in the Legislature. Biomarker testing helps connect cancer patients to the right treatment at the right time, often resulting in improved outcomes and quality of life. In some cases, biomarker testing may provide information that enables patients to forgo ineffective treatments and eliminate the potentially harmful, life-altering side effects of those treatments, which could also result in reduced health care costs.

January 15, 2024, marked 18 years since the New Jersey Smoke-free Air Act was signed into law. My family and I are proud New Jerseyans and direct beneficiaries of this groundbreaking legislation. I distinctly remember the difference it made in everyday life; clearing the haze from restaurants, commuter trains and businesses made it safer for workers and patrons alike. It is hard for me to imagine returning to a restaurant and sitting through a meal with plumes over my plate, ashtrays at every table or returning to a workplace where smoking is permitted and condoned.