Increased Access to Medicaid

Share

Photograph of a breast exam with a patient and doctor.

Access to Health Care

Where you live should not determine whether you live. But, for millions of low-income Americans, the state they live in could determine if they have access to health services, including cancer care.  To date, 38 states and the District of Columbia have increased access to their Medicaid programs, providing more than twelve million individuals and families access to health care coverage and to lifesaving tests like mammograms, colonoscopies and other cancer screenings. 

We are working in the remaining 12 states to reach the day when everyone has access to affordable health care.  Going to the doctor is much cheaper than going to the emergency room. And, for a family, preventing cancer is much less expensive than treating it. 

We know how to save lives from cancer.  And we know how to save money on health care costs.  Ensuring that low-income working families have access to affordable health insurance – especially during tough times – is an important first step.  

  

38 states have increased access to health care through Medicaid, helping provide twelve million Americans with access to lifesaving cancer care.

Latest Updates

See More Updates

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Pleads Legislature to Urgently Ensure Access to Care and Build on Current Momentum

July 28, 2022
North Carolina

RALEIGH, NC – July 28, 2022 – The North Carolina legislature adjourned today for the month after reconvening for the first time since passing the fiscal year 2022 budget. The House and Senate will reconvene periodically over the next five months and have the ability to address priority issues

Good News: Conversations Ongoing to Expand Quality, Affordable Health Care

July 1, 2022

We have good news: One of our top lobbyists just confirmed that members of Congress are hopeful about their negotiations on an upcoming legislative package that could expand access to quality, affordable health care.

New Ads Name Individual House Members as ‘Standing in the Way’ of Affordable Health Care for North Carolinians

June 21, 2022
North Carolina

RALEIGH, NC – June 21, 2022 – A new series of advertisements paid for by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) launched yesterday citing the impact Medicaid expansion can have on the health of North Carolinians as well as the state economy and rural areas, following a

Access Denied: The Injustice of the Medicaid Coverage Gap

June 17, 2022

The facts are clear: expanding access to Medicaid saves lives from cancer. Yet lawmakers in 12 states refuse to expand access to Medicaid for more than 2 million people who desperately need it. In fact, a new study led by researchers at the American Cancer Society shows the survival rate for people newly diagnosed with cancer is higher in states that have expanded Medicaid than in states that have not.

Increased Access to Medicaid Resources

ACS CAN Comments re: Request for Information on Access to Coverage and Care in Medicaid & CHIP

April 18, 2022

ACS CAN submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regarding its 2022 Request for Information on Access to Coverage and Care in Medicaid & CHIP. Our comments address suggested improvements in Medicaid enrollment and eligibility determination, transitions of coverage, national standards for access to care, and the eventual end of the public health emergency and continuous coverage provisions.

ACS CAN Comments re: Oregon Medicaid 1115 Waiver Renewal

April 11, 2022

ACS CAN submitted comments in support of the renewal of Oregon's 1115 Medicaid waiver, including the state's proposal of continuous coverage provisions for children and adults. However, ACS CAN strongly objects to the state's proposal to limit Medicaid coverage of drugs approved through the accelerated approval process, and urges CMS to reject this part of the waiver request.

ACS CAN Comments re: ARHOME Section 1115 Demonstration Application

October 23, 2021