Access to Health Care

ACS CAN advocates for policies that provide access to treatments and services people with cancer need for their care - including those who may be newly diagnosed, in active treatment and cancer survivors.

Private Health Insurance Resources:

ACS CAN submitted comments to HHS in support of Alaska's application for an extension of its 1332 waiver establishing a reinsurance program. These programs lower premiums and increase enrollment in the private insurance market.

ACS CAN submitted comments regarding marketplace insurance plans and requirements for plan year 2023. 

ACS CAN supports the extension of Colorado's section 1332 reinsurance waiver.

High deductible health plans (HDHPs) and health savings accounts (HSAs) are becoming more common in employer-sponsored insurance and the individual and small group markets.  These types of plans have risks and features must be implemented carefully so they do not harm cancer patients, survivors or those at risk for cancer.

ACS CAN submitted comments on September 16, 2020, to CMS regarding Georgia's 1332 waiver application.

Medicare Resources:

ACS CAN submitted comments supporting CMS' propsoal related to CMS' laboratory date of service policy.

ACS CAN comments on CY2018 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule

The Medicare program covers 55.3 million people, including 46.3 million who qualify due to age and 9 million people who qualify on the basis of a disability.  Medicare beneficiaries - including many cancer patients and survivors - have access to an outpatient prescription drug benefit that provides them with prescription drugs needed to treat their disease or condition.  This benefit – and keeping it affordable – are crucial to any health care system that works for cancer patients and survivors.

In response to CMS’ calendar year 2017 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule, ACS CAN filed comments supporting the proposal to expand the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) Model as a new Medicare preventive service because many of the interventions included in the DPP will also help beneficiaries lower their risk of developing cancer.

In response to CMS’ calendar year 2017 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System proposed rule, ACS CAN filed comments suggesting changes to the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Initiative programs and urged Medicare to develop better survey questions that seek to measure a beneficiary’s experience with pain management. 

ACS CAN filed comments on the implementation of the Medicare and CHIP Reauthorization Act.

ACS CAN filed extensive comments expressing deep concern with the proposed Medicare Part B Drug Payment Model and noting that in its proposed form the Part B Drug Model Model failed to protect cancer patients' access to life-saving medications.

ACS CAN provided comments on the proposed rule implementing changes to the Medicare Shared Savings Program in which we urged CMS to provide additional beneficiary education and require greater specificity on wasy to improve care coordination for beneficiaries.

ACS CAN provided comments on CMS' initiation of a national coverage analysis for cervical cancer screening with a combination of HPV and cytology (Pap) testing.

Reducing Health Disparities Resources:

In response to a request from FDA, ACS CAN has provided recommendations for areas of focus for the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE).  Recommendations include assessing the applicability of drug "snapshot" data, evaluating the appropriateness of aggregating racial groups for ana

Despite the fact that US cancer death rates have decreased by 26 percent from 1991 to 2015, not all Americans have benefited equally from the advances in prevention, early detection, and treatments that have helped achieve these lower rates.

  •  

Costs and Barriers to Care Resources:

This report explores the experiences of cancer patients with their health insurance and financial challenges through interviews with hospital-based financial navigators. The report finds that while the Affordable Care Act has brought crucial improvements to patient access to health insurance, cancer patients still face serious challenges affording their care and using their insurance benefits.

Current federal requirements prohibit health insurance plans from denying coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions like cancer.  These are one of several important patient protections that must be part of any health care system that works for cancer patients.

Current federal law has several provisions that help prevent individuals and families from experiencing gaps in their health insurance coverage.  Coverage gaps can delay necessary care, which is particularly detrimental to cancer patients and survivors.  Preventing gaps in coverage is a crucial patient protection that must be maintained in our health care and insurance system.

Current federal law provides life-saving coverage of cancer prevention and early detection services and programs.  These provisions are crucial to reducing the incidence and impact of cancer in the United States.  They are also crucial in helping cancer survivors remain cancer-free and lead healthy lives.

The Medicare program covers 55.3 million people, including 46.3 million who qualify due to age and 9 million people who qualify on the basis of a disability.  Medicare beneficiaries - including many cancer patients and survivors - have access to an outpatient prescription drug benefit that provides them with prescription drugs needed to treat their disease or condition.  This benefit – and keeping it affordable – are crucial to any health care system that works for cancer patients and survivors.

The health care law has several provisions that help prevent individuals from experiencing gaps in health insurance coverage, including the requirement that private health insurance plans allow dependents to remain on their parents’ insurance until age 26.  This provision is important for keeping survivors of childhood and young adult cancer insured, and helps to ensure young adults receive preventive services and screenings.  This provision is a crucial patient protection that must be a part of a health care system that works for cancer patients and survivors.

Consumers need access to health insurance policies that cover a full range of evidence-based health care services – including prevention and primary care – necessary to maintain health, avoid disease, overcome acute illness and live with chronic disease.  Any health care system that works for cancer patients must have standards ensuring that enrollees have access to comprehensive health insurance.

Current federal requirements prohibit most insurance plans from limiting both the lifetime and annual dollar value of benefits.  This ban is one of several important patient protections that must be part of any health care system that works for cancer patients.

 

 

Current federal requirements provide crucial protections that ensure health insurance coverage is comprehensive, not arbitrarily limited, available to all and more affordable.  These protections are especially important for cancer patients, survivors, and those at risk for cancer.  This fact sheet contains a list of the most important provisions in current law for the cancer community.