Cancer Advocates Urge Congress to Reject House Health Care Bill

WASHINGTON, March 24 -- The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network issued the following news release:

Today the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the American Health Care Act (AHCA). This bill, in its current form, would significantly alter the accessibility, adequacy and affordability of meaningful health insurance for millions of Americans, including those who have coverage through Medicaid.

ACS CAN sent a detailed letter to lawmakers this morning expressing concerns about the latest amendment to the proposal not to include Essential Health Benefits as required under current law. This proposal compounds already troubling changes that will undermine access to affordable, quality coverage.

A statement from Chris Hansen, ACS CAN president, follows:

"The bill being considered today would significantly reduce the number of Americans able to access and afford quality health insurance. According to an initial report on the legislation by the Congressional Budget Office, 15 million more Americans will be uninsured by next year and 52 million Americans would be uninsured by 2026--24 million more than under current law. This includes millions of low-income Americans who, because of significant Medicaid funding cuts, a reduction in the premium tax credit and expanded age-rating, would be priced out of the health insurance market. Many of these same Americans also have higher risk factors for cancer.

"Moreover, changing what constitutes quality health insurance by eliminating the essential health benefits could leave millions of Americans paying for coverage that won't meet their needs. Critical patient protections, including prohibiting pre-existing condition exclusions and barring lifetime and annual coverage caps, are directly linked to plans being required to provide comprehensive coverage. Removing these standards combined with the policies contained in the underlying legislation could leave millions of Americans unable to afford insurance or paying for insurance coverage that is inadequate.

"Having access to adequate, affordable health insurance is essential to our nation's ability to continue reducing death and suffering from cancer. American Cancer Society research has clearly shown that patients with health insurance are more likely to have their cancer diagnosed at an earlier stage when the disease is less expensive to treat and chances of survival are greater than their uninsured counterparts.

"Despite ACS CAN's efforts to work with Congress to improve the legislation, the bill being voted on today does not meet our standards for affordability and adequacy for cancer patients. It increases patient costs and decreases the quality of coverage. We urge Congress to reject this bill and to come together to find ways to improve our health care system that will protect cancer patients, survivors and all those at risk of the disease. We would welcome an opportunity to work with both sides to ensure such changes would be best for patients and the country."

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