​Highlights include Cancer Votes, the latest Survivor Views Survey results, and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

A message from ACS CAN President Lisa Lacasse

We are just a few weeks away from Election Day, and no matter the outcome, we will continue our important work for cancer patients, survivors, and their families. We are advancing our work in the states in session before the end of year and continue to lay the essential groundwork in preparation for 2025 state sessions. We are preparing for all possible scenarios to engage with incoming lawmakers at the federal, state, and local levels to ensure that our priorities are prominent during the transition of offices.

Until then, our Cancer Votes work is crucial. We recognize the pivotal role of elections in shaping cancer policy, and ACS CAN is actively working to secure commitments from candidates to make this disease that affects so many a priority. Our team members and volunteers across the country have been urging candidates seeking federal office to sign our Cancer Promise, a pledge to champion evidence-based public policy solutions to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. With over 550 dedicated Cancer Votes volunteers nationwide reaching out to candidates through various channels, we are proud to announce that 88 candidates have already signed the Cancer Promise, with more signing every week. We are encouraging everyone to use our ballot lookup tool to see what issues are on your ballot and view the list of candidates who have signed the Cancer Promise. 

As the work of the 118th Congress draws to a close, our advocacy efforts remain critical, and we are working to get our priorities over the finish line. While Congress has passed a continuing resolution (CR) through December 20 and is currently in recess until after the election, we are strategically preparing for a pivotal final two months of the year. We will continue driving our main priorities – funding for cancer research and a pathway to access to innovative early detection in Medicare – amplified on the Hill through the collective power of hundreds of volunteers during Leadership Summit & Lobby Day (LS&LD) last month.

We are urging support for the highest possible increases for cancer research in the FY25 funding bill with an ask of $51.3 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including $7.934 billion for cancer research at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and $1.5 billion for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). We are also calling on Congress to support $472.4 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) cancer programs, including $230 million for the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program.

We are urging final passage of H.R. 2407/S. 2085 the Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act. I’m proud to report that thanks to our efforts during LS&LD, we are now at 311 (8 new) House co-sponsors and 63 (2 new) Senate co-sponsors. A big congratulations to all our advocates who helped make this happen!

During LS&LD volunteers began to educate their members on the importance of preventing premiums from skyrocketing for nearly 20 million people and millions from losing their health insurance. We are also urging Congress to make the Affordable Care Act Enhanced Tax Credits permanent to ensure affordable access to comprehensive health insurance for patients and survivors. This week, we released survey findings that strongly support our efforts to keep health insurance affordable. Keep reading to learn more.

Thank you for your continued support.

Keeping Insurance Affordable: New Survey Finds Cancer Patients and Survivors Overwhelmingly Support Extending the ACA Enhanced Tax Credits: Seventy-two percent (72%) of cancer patients and survivors support extending the Affordable Care Act enhanced tax credits, according to the latest Survivor Views survey ACS CAN released yesterday. Further, 43% of those surveyed who reported benefiting from the enhanced tax credits say they could not have afforded to enroll in a health plan without the tax credits, while others would have considered a plan that could carry significant financial risk or provide insufficient coverage.

ACS CAN Continues to Support Legislation to Make the Affordable Care Act Enhanced Tax Credits Permanent: On September 25, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (NH) and Tammy Baldwin (WI) introduced a bill, the Health Care Affordability Act of 2024 (S.5194). If passed, the bill would make the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced tax credits permanent, making health insurance coverage affordable for an estimated 20 million people. Co-sponsored by 45 Senators, this bill is a companion to Representative Lauren Underwood’s (IL) House bill (H.R. 9774) and would help ensure individuals who rely on enhanced tax credits to purchase marketplace plans continue to have affordable options for health insurance coverage. 

Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM): To kick off BCAM in early October, the American Cancer Society (ACS) released Breast Cancer Statistics, 2024, the organization’s biennial update on breast cancer occurrence and trends in the United States. The new report finds breast cancer mortality rates overall have dropped by 44% since 1989, averting approximately 517,900 breast cancer deaths. However, not all women have benefited from this progress, notably American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) women, whose rates have remained unchanged over the past three decades. I underscored our commitment to advocacy for legislation that benefits breast cancer patients in the ACS release, saying:

“Through cooperative agreements with all 50 states, tribal organizations and territories, the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) has been a lifeline for limited-income, uninsured and underinsured women, providing them with critical screenings and treatment. Congress has a chance to pass the Screening for Communities to Receive Early and Equitable Needed Services (SCREENS) for Cancer Act, which would reauthorize the NBCCEDP and expand its reach to more people who may not otherwise be screened. We urge Congress to take this step towards saving lives from cancer while reducing costs for our health care system.”

In addition to increased funding for cancer research and passage of the MCED Act, we are urging Congress to pass the SCREENS for Cancer Act which would reauthorize NBCCEDP through 2028. 

Hispanic Heritage Month Social Spotlight: Share this video of ACS CAN volunteers from our ACSí Se Puede Hispanic/Latino Advocacy Alliance, along with ACS CAN staff, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

September Volunteer Spotlight: We highlighted Eugenia (Gina) Posada from ACS CAN Texas! Gina serves as Ambassador Constituent Team (ACT) Lead for district 16 and has been a longtime volunteer. Gina is also a founding member of the ACSí Se Puede Hispanic/Latino Advocacy Alliance, one of our six volunteer affinity groups. Share her feature on LinkedIn and your other social channels.

Upcoming Events

Equitable Access: Return to Breast Cancer Screening for Under Resourced Communities

Thursday, October 17 5:00 PM PT | 8:00 PM ET

ACS CAN's volunteer affinity groups are hosting their first ever joint virtual event. The event will discuss breast cancer screening disparities and opportunities. Cancer survivors and panelists will share their stories and expertise. Register here.

Virtual Film Screening of Trans Dudes with Lady Cancer

Wednesday, November 6 4:00 PM PT | 7:00 PM ET

The short film documents the journey of two transmasculine people as they navigate cancer within the medical system. The film will be followed by Q&A with the filmmakers Yee Won Chong and Brooks Nelson. Register here.

Lights of Hope 2024 Update: As of Monday, Lights of Hope has raised more than $849,153 towards our goal of $877,000, thanks to the efforts of our volunteers, national donors, and sponsorships collected from our partners at ACS. Nationwide, we have over 224 local sponsors of Lights of Hope. There is still time to support Lights of Hope before our October 15 fundraising deadline!

Recent Events:

Catch the Replay of Cancer & the Vote: Health, Hope and the 2024 Elections. ACS CAN shared how candidates, if elected, will help shape cancer policy for years to come. Expert pollsters from Public Opinion Strategies and Hart Research shared key polling data about how voters view cancer issues in this election. These data show the bipartisan support of our priorities and how affordability of health care is an important voter consideration.

We cohosted a congressional briefing on the Health Equity and Accountability Act (HEAA) with the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum in D.C. on October 2 focused on causes for and examples of cancer disparities in communities of color and how legislation, including HEAA and other ACS CAN-supported bills, would address these and improve health equity.

Our One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC) Congressional Briefing in D.C. on September 24 was well attended by 50+ people and the discussion on the future of cancer research was wide ranging with good audience engagement. The discussion was moderated by Christina Annunziata, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President, Extramural Discovery Science at American Cancer Society. Panelists included: Danielle Carnival, PhD, Deputy Assistant to the President for the Cancer Moonshot, OSTP Deputy Director for Health Outcomes; Warren A. Kibbe, Ph.D., FACMI, Deputy Director for Data Science and Strategy, National Cancer Institute; Robert A. Winn, M.D., Director and Lipman Chair in Oncology, VCU Massey Cancer Center; Luisa Escobar-Hoyos, MSc, PhD, Assistant Professor of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale School of Medicine.

 The 2024 Virginia Palliative Care Policy Forum & Breakfast on September 29 gave medical school students, advocates, and the public an opportunity to learn how palliative care services support patients from the point of diagnosis, throughout treatment and beyond. ACS CAN Board member Dr. Bruce Waldholtz (pictured) emceed the event and ACS Chief Patient Officer Dr. Arif Kamal discussed how palliative care improves the quality of life of cancer patients and survivors.

The 11^th Annual Rhode Island Research Breakfast on October 2 brought together key leaders and decision makers in government, research, and academics to discuss the state of cancer research and innovation happening in the state. During the event, ACS CAN had the chance to congratulate and thank the late Senator Maryellen Goodwin, Representative Mia Ackerman, and Senator Jack Reed for championing our legislative priorities. Also in attendance were both RI members of Congress, Representative Seth Magaziner, Representative Gabe Amo, Secretary of State Gregg Amore, and Speaker of the House K. Joseph Shekarchi.

In Due Season at the Milwaukee Film Festival: ACS CAN’s In Due Season was a featured documentary at the inaugural Milwaukee Film’s 2024 Dialogues Documentary Festival on September 26. ACS CAN staff and volunteers attended along with the film's director Ashley O’Shay who also joined a post-screening panel discussion. ACS CAN Board member Phil O’Brien and Debra Nevels, WI ACT Lead and member of the Black Volunteer Caucus, led the effort to get the film screened at film festival.

Mississippi Health Summits: In partnership with our Medicaid Covers Us grantee, Together for Hope, the Mississippi team hosted a series of community health summits to highlight the need for Medicaid expansion in the state. Many of the summits featured MS Government Relations Director Kimberly Hughes and House Medicaid Chair Rep Missy McGee (pictured).The events took place in targeted legislative districts to continue the momentum from this year’s legislative session into 2025. 

ACS CAN participated in the 53^rd annual Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) September 11-15 in D.C. During this year’s conference, ACS CAN and ACS team members participated in several engagement opportunities alongside national industry leaders and elected officials and were joined by ACS CAN Board members, Dr. Kimberly Jeffries Leonard (chair), Dr. Karen Winkfield, David Ford, as well as ACS Chief Diversity Officer Tawana Thomas Johnson (pictured).

ACS CAN also supported the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Leadership Conference's 47th Annual Awards Gala in D.C. on September 19 with ACS CAN Board member Jose Ramos, ACS Board member Jose Buenaga, and ACS Executive Vice President, Puerto Rico Lillian Santos in attendance (pictured).

State Updates:

California: Gov. Newsom signed the flavored tobacco bill that requires the Attorney General (AG) to establish and maintain an unflavored tobacco list, gives state and local authorities power to seize and destroy anything not on the list, prohibits online sales/delivery of anything not on the list and gives the AG power to prosecute distributors and wholesalers who sell products not on the list. 

Disappointingly, Newsom also signed a bill that allows licensed cannabis retailers and microbusinesses in California to sell non-cannabis food and beverages, and host live performances in areas designated for on-site cannabis consumption, pending local approval. Previously, California’s legal marijuana outlets couldn’t sell food and beverages. ACS CAN opposed this bill and voiced strong disappointment with the decision.

Wisconsin: A new report released from the Wisconsin Policy Forum says that expansion of BadgerCare would benefit nearly 90,000 limited-income Wisconsin residents, including 61,000 parents. One finding from this report that is largely missing from the debate in Wisconsin is that residents of rural counties in Wisconsin are the most likely to benefit from BadgerCare expansion. 

Judicial Updates:

Big Tobacco will have to pay a $3.5 million penalty for lack of retailer compliance on corrective statements. The settlement in the decades-long lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice against Big Tobacco for fraud and racketeering in which ACS is an intervenor includes detailed audit provisions requiring an independent auditor to conduct thousands of audits to ensure retailers are posting the statements. If the auditor finds a noncompliance rate among the representative sample of greater than 15%, the manufacturers have to pay a civil penalty to the U.S. Treasury of $3.5 million, which was triggered during the last period.

Patient Groups Urge District Court to Uphold Expansion of Critical Access to Affordable Health Insurance for DACA Recipients. Last week, patient groups representing millions of individuals with serious diseases and health conditions filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) strongly urging the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota to deny a motion for a stay and preliminary injunction in the case of Kansas v. United States of America. The brief maintains that the final rule issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) expanding insurance coverage eligibility to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients aligns with Congress’s intent in passing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) because it will improve patient outcomes and public health, and reduces uncompensated care costs by decreasing the number of uninsured individuals. Read more.

Victory In Public Charge Rule Case: A district court in Texas upheld the current federal public charge rule, meaning an immigrant's enrollment in Medicaid should not adversely affect their immigration status. ACS CAN had supported the rule with an amicus brief. 

Advocacy in the News

• New York Times: California Will Allow Amsterdam-Like Cannabis Cafes
• AP News: Limits to anti-nausea pill coverage wear on cancer patients and doctors
• ProPublica: A Supreme Court Justice Warned That a Ruling Would Cause “Large-Scale Disruption.” The Effects Are Already Being Felt.
• HealthDay: More Cancer Cases in Areas Where Incarceration Rates Are High: Study
• Gray TV: Iowa cancer survivors lobby on Capitol Hill 
• Spectrum News: Cancer advocates push for funding, legislation on Capitol Hill 
• Cancer Health: Cancer Patients and Survivors Urge Congress to Make Cancer a National Priority 
• Telemundo Puerto Rico: Cancer Advocates Ask for Access to Innovative Cancer Detection Tests (Spanish)
• WJLA: 10,000 ‘Lights of Hope’ Honor Cancer Survivors  
• Boston Globe: Cancer is the number one cause of death among Latinos. It doesn’t have to be. 
• Alabama Daily News: Latest rural hospital closure sparks renewed cries for Medicaid expansion
• Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Marina Posvar: The cancer promise Bob Casey and Dave McCormick must make
• Las Vegas Sun: Alex Garza: Fighting cancer and addressing health care at the polls