Access to Health Care

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Every American deserves access to quality, affordable health care. From cancer screenings like mammograms and colonoscopies to the latest breakthroughs in treatment, everyone should have access to the care that could prevent cancer and save their life.  In addition, ensuring that low-income working families have access to affordable health insurance is proven to reduce overall health care costs. 

We are working in every state and in Congress to expand health care options and protect existing laws that help patients get true access to the care they need. 

People without health insurance are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer at a late stage, when the disease is harder to treat, more costly and more difficult to survive.

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National

How has access to affordable, comprehensive health care impacted you?

One of ACS CAN’s top priorities in 2025 and beyond will be to protect critical patient protections in the health care law and maintain access to affordable, quality health coverage. Your story can help. 

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National

Urge Congress to support access to cutting-edge cancer treatments

“Many cancer patients have to choose between life and death when it comes to cancer and what they can afford for treatment."  Contact your Member of Congress to help cancer patients have a brighter future.

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Latest Updates

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25 Groups Representing Patients and Health Care Professionals Urge U.S. Court of Appeals to Preserve Nondiscrimination Protections for LGBTQ+ Patients

November 26, 2024
National

Groups representing millions of health care professionals and patients with serious and chronic health conditions filed an amicus curiae brief in the case of Tennessee et al. v. Becerra in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Healey Signs Bill to Address Breast Cancer Screening Inequities

November 15, 2024
Massachusetts

Legislation will eliminate costly barriers to follow up breast cancer screening

Ballot Passage in South Dakota Puts Work Requirements Back on the Table; Voters Reject Measure that Could Have Undone Efforts to Reduce Tobacco Use

November 6, 2024
National

South Dakota voters on Tuesday passed Amendment F, which would change the state constitution to allow for work requirements to be added to the state’s Medicaid expansion program.

Public Health Leaders Sound Alarm on South Dakota Ballot Measure

October 31, 2024
South Dakota

PIERRE, SD – Ahead of Election Day next week, leaders from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), the American Lung Association and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids express their concerns around South Dakota Initiated Measure 28, urging South Dakotans to vote “no” on the ballot measure. Introduced

Access to Health Care Resources

Telehealth for People Living with and Beyond Cancer

November 9, 2020

Telehealth visits that enable providers to deliver clinical services from a distance using options like video conferencing and remote monitoring can provide cancer patients and survivors with a convenient means of accessing both cancer care and primary care.

Cancer Biomarker Testing

July 22, 2020

Advances in precision medicine have led to targeted cancer therapies that have improved patient outcomes and quality of life within populations of cancer patients with very specific biomarkers. Testing patients for cancer biomarkers is integral to identify those who may benefit from targeted therapy. Despite the importance of such testing, many cancer patients are not tested for biomarkers. This fact sheet highlights recent advancements in targeted cancer therapies and data from ACS CAN Survivor Views surveys of cancer patients and survivors assessing barriers to biomarker testing.  

Comments to CMS Regarding National Coverage Decision for Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) Panels

June 2, 2019

ACS CAN responded to the reopening of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) coverage decision for NGS testing panels.