American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Strongly Criticizes Senate Health Care Bill

Advocacy Group Says New Bill “Is Worse For Patients”

(Nashville, TN) – Today, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) released a statement condemning the revised Senate health care bill, which the organization says would make it harder for those affected by cancer to access affordable and quality health care coverage.

 

The organization’s main concerns with the bill include Medicaid cuts and the removal of consumer protections for those with pre-existing conditions like cancer, which would leave patients “paying more for less health care.”

 

ACS CAN President Chris Hansen warns, “Allowing insurance companies to sell bare-bones, tax credit eligible, catastrophic plans would create a segmented insurance market and essentially return cancer patients, survivors and anyone with a serious illness to an underfunded high-risk pool where patients’ out-of-pocket costs could be unaffordable and coverage potentially inadequate.”

 

The full ACS CAN statement can be found here.

 

“We urge Senators to reject this legislation and come together to undertake a deliberate and inclusive process that would arrive at a bill that strengthens coverage and improves affordability for cancer patients, survivors and all those at risk for the disease,” Hansen concluded the statement.