Efforts to expand access to quality, affordable health care are in full swing, and there's much progress to celebrate.
A message from ACS CAN President Lisa Lacasse
Happy first day of May! Our advocacy efforts over the last month to expand access to quality, affordable health care have been in full swing, and there's much progress to celebrate. Our work has been timely as April marked the 7th annual Medicaid Awareness Month, and we've remained focused on advocating for access to care in the 10 states that have yet to expand Medicaid.
The Medicaid Covers US team recently began pre-screening ACS CAN's new and insightful film, "In Due Season," to highlight the critical importance of Medicaid expansion as a step toward achieving equitable health care. Although the majority of Americans enrolled in Medicaid are White, in the states that have not yet expanded Medicaid, 60% of those caught in the coverage gap are people of color.
The film amplifies the lived experiences of Black Americans, featuring families affected by this issue. "In Due Season" also captures expert insight from voices like ACS CAN Board member Dr. Karen Winkfield on the history of discriminatory practices within America's health care system that continue to exacerbate health disparities for Black communities.
ACS CAN partnered with Black Voters Matter to promote pre-screening of the film through the "Sick and Tired" bus tour, which traveled through Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida from April 19 to 25th. The tour included previews of the film, panels with local leaders, health and wellness symposiums, and storytelling booths for participants to share the impact of their experiences with lack of access to health care. The bus tour garnered media attention from news outlets in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, including a feature from ACS CAN Senior Outreach Manager, State & Local Campaigns, Tomica Smith.
The tour was particularly timely in Mississippi, where the potential for passing Medicaid expansion has come down to the wire at the end of their state session. There's been recent movement and a call for legislators to advance meaningful legislation. ACS CAN continues to urge lawmakers to not just pass expansion in name, but to ensure legislation will truly increase access to affordable, comprehensive health care, without erecting additional barriers.
A big thank you to every team member who contributed to making both the preview of "In Due Season" and the bus tour a great success! We know we are continuing to make headway thanks to our strengthened community partnerships and continued engagement with lawmakers relentlessly elevating the importance of access to care in the fight against cancer.
I was thrilled to celebrate this work and wins in many other priority areas during a rewarding weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina at our State Lead Ambassador (SLA) Summit. I joined 159 volunteers and team members to publicly appreciate the tireless commitment of our volunteer leaders across the country. Their efforts through direct lobbying of their elected officials, volunteer recruitment, outreach, and engagement continue to drive our impact.
We were also proud to celebrate our thousands of volunteers during Volunteer Appreciation Week in April. We posted this video across our social channels and shared a volunteer appreciation kudos post thanking our volunteers.
I am looking forward to an eventful May. Please join us next week, May 9, at our National Policy Forum. I'm excited to see our ACS CAN Board members in two weeks for our Board meeting in Denver. The final days of May will also kick off the American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago, which is always an incredible opportunity to meet with our many strategic partners in person and celebrate science discoveries over this past year.
Thank you for your continued commitment to our public policy advocacy work.
As part of ACS CAN’s ongoing commitment to making cancer care affordable for everyone, ACS CAN's 2024 Forum on the Future of Health Care on May 9th will focus on alleviating the burden of medical debt many cancer patients, survivors and their families face. Please register to join us in-person or virtually.
In honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, ACS CAN, the Oncology Nurses Society (ONS) and ACS CAN’s AAPI Volunteer Caucus are hosting a virtual event: Addressing Cancer Care Barriers for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at 12 pm Eastern. Please learn more and register to join us virtually.
Cancer Votes Update
Cancer Votes is having early success in the Maryland U.S. Senate race and Oregon Congressional District 3 race. Volunteers recently held candidate coffee chats with U.S. Senate Candidate, David Trone, in Maryland and U.S. House Candidate, Michael Jonas, in Oregon to discuss cancer policies that would further our goal of ending cancer as we know it, for everyone. Additional coffee chat events are in the early planning stages for late spring and early summer. In addition, Maryland Senate candidates, Larry Hogan and David Trone, and Oregon Congressional District 3 candidates, Susheela Jayapal and Michael Jonas have signed ACS CAN's Cancer Promise, pledging their support for cancer research funding, ensuring access to affordable, quality health coverage, and ensuring access to cancer prevention and early detection services, including tobacco control.
Event Highlights:
National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) Annual Conference
Today I served as a speaker for NCUIH's Annual Conference - Sustaining Traditions lunch plenary for an audience of Urban Indian Organization (UIO) representatives, Tribal leaders, nonprofits, and representatives from government agencies. ACS CAN sponsored this important conference as we strive to continue serving as a strong ally for American Indian and Alaska Native communities who carry a disproportionate cancer burden.
National Minority Quality Forum's recent live webinar Amplifying Patient Voices for Health Equity in the Wake of the Inflation Reduction Act explored the importance of patient voices in achieving health equity and provided strategies for amplifying those voices as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services continues to implement the IRA. Panelists included Pam Traxel, Senior Vice President, Alliance Development and Philanthropy, ACS CAN; Donna Cryer, J.D., President and Founder, Global Liver Institute; and Stephanie Dyson, Senior Vice President, U.S. Policy and Government Affairs, Bristol Myers Squibb. The panel was moderated by Pamela Barnes, Director Federal Strategic Alliances, U.S. Policy and Government Affairs, Bristol Myers Squibb.
National Medical Association (NMA) Colloquium on African American Health
ACS CAN's James Williams, Director, Federal Relations - Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Screening, participated in NMA’s Health Colloquium Workshop, Removing Cost Barriers to Prostate Cancer Screening with the Honorable Troy Carter, U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Carter has been a lead champion of our priority prostate cancer screening legislation, PSA for HIM.
National Coalition of 100 Black Women (NCBW)
ACS CAN participated in two events for the NCBW Legislative Day. Angela Sailor, Director of Federal Strategic Alliances, Health Equity, and James Williams, led an advocacy presentation on appropriations, MCED, PSA Screening for HIM, and Screens for Cancer Act. The following day, NCBW asked members of Congress to fund cancer research and pass the PSA Screening for HIM Act, MCED, and SCREENS for Cancer Act. Nishith Pandya, Director of Federal Relations, also participated in the panel on diversity in clinical trials and discussed ACS CAN's work on this issue and why it is a priority.
Addressing Representation in Clinical Trials Congressional Briefing
In partnership with the Alliance for Cancer Care Equity (ACCE), ACS CAN hosted a Congressional Briefing: Addressing Representation in Clinical Trials. The briefing featured remarks by Congressman Raul Ruiz, MD (D-CA), the lead sponsor of the Modernization of Clinical Trials Act, formerly named DIVERSE. ACS CAN featured panelists including Ms. Beatrice Cardenas-Duncan, Cancer Survivor and Lead Advocate for California, and Dr. Mark Fleury, Principal, Policy Development - Emerging Science.
Congressional Families Cancer Prevention Program & Prevent Cancer Foundation Honors Dr. Francis Collins
I was thrilled to attend the Congressional Families Cancer Prevention Program & Prevent Cancer Foundation's reception to honor Dr. Francis Collins, former Director of the National Institutes of Health for his phenomenal impact on science and cancer. At the event, Dr. Collins announced this prostate cancer diagnosis, emphasizing the importance of screening and clinical trials. You can read his powerful OpEd which ran in the Washington Post. We wish Dr. Collins well throughout his prostate cancer treatment. An instrumental leader at the NIH, he championed robust funding for biomedical research. As he eloquently articulated that evening, early detection matters—that's why legislation like PSA For HIM is key for improving access to lifesaving screening.
State Updates:
Iowa Legislature Passes Biomarker Bill
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed legislation into law that will ensure Iowans covered by Medicaid and state-regulated insurance plans now have coverage for biomarker testing when medically appropriate. Precision medicine helps patients access the right treatment at the right time, and this legislation will help reduce disparities in access to these lifesaving innovations in Iowa. We are thrilled that Iowa became the 17th state nationwide to implement ACS CAN’s model legislation.
ACS CAN Applauds Virginia Legislation Improving Access to Screening
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin signed legislation aimed at improving Virginians’ access to colorectal cancer screening. The bipartisan proposal will ensure coverage, without cost sharing, for colorectal cancer screening in accordance with the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines, including a follow-up colonoscopy after a positive non-invasive screening test. ACS CAN looks forward to the impact this legislation will have on cancer prevention and early detection in Virginia.
Ohio Court Issues Restraining Order Against Law Prohibiting Local Tobacco Regulations
Franklin County Court of Common Pleas has issued a temporary restraining order against enforcement of a state law prohibiting local regulations of tobacco and alternative nicotine products. The temporary restraining order blocks the law from going into effect until a preliminary injunction hearing on Friday, May 17. Recall that the tobacco preemption law was passed as part of the budget bill and Governor Mike DeWine vetoed the language, but the General Assembly overrode his veto. Preemption laws have a chilling effect on communities’ ability to pass critical public health measures including evidence-based tobacco control interventions. We will continue to work to reduce barriers to these policies that are critical to our cancer mission.
California Rooted in Community Empowerment (RICE) Grant Developments
ACS CAN congratulates the RICE team for their win in Emeryville, CA, which has a population of 12,887 (35.9% White, 30.3% Asian, 17.7% Black, and 9.3% Hispanic or Latino). The Council voted unanimously to pass the first reading of a comprehensive Tobacco Retail Licensing ordinance that ends the sale of all flavored tobacco, sets a minimum price and pack size for cigar products, ends the sale of all tobacco in pharmacies, allows no new retailers near youth areas, and includes a mandatory annual compliance visit and annual youth decoy operation. The council strengthened the policy at the last minute to add 90-day rechecks for stores that fail compliance visits. A second policy also passed to remove the exemption for smoking lounges.
Federal Updates:
Major Disappointment as Administration Indefinitely Delays FDA Tobacco Control Rules
Last Friday, the White House announced it is indefinitely delaying finalization of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed rule to end the sale of menthol cigarettes, without mention of eliminating all flavors in cigars, despite an overwhelming amount of evidence demonstrating menthol flavoring is a serious public health risk. ACS CAN once again calls on the White House to commit to its Cancer Moonshot goal and take meaningful action to reduce tobacco-related cancers. We will continue our work with federal, state, and local lawmakers to end the sale of all flavored tobacco products.
Patient Quality of Life Coalition Lobby Day
ACS CAN joined 49 advocates and volunteers representing 22 states and 15 organizations with ACS CAN’s Patient Quality of Life Coalition (PQLC) on Capitol Hill for its 9th Annual PQLC Lobby Day, visiting 48 Senate and 2 House offices. Together we elevated the patient voice and advocated for the passage of the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA), thanked appropriators for FY24 palliative care funding, and requested that the Senate hold a markup in the HELP Committee, to be followed by a vote on the Senate floor. PQLC, a coalition led by ACS CAN, is made up of more than 40 organizations working collectively to advance the interests of patients facing serious illness by supporting policies that improve and expand access to high-quality palliative care services. ACS CAN urges lawmakers to prioritize passage of this important legislation this year to save lives.
Patient Advocate Groups Urge the Supreme Court to Address Youth Tobacco Use
ACS CAN joined other tobacco control groups in an amicus brief urging the US Supreme Court to take up the FDA’s appeal of a decision by the 5th Circuit en banc which struck down marketing denial orders the agency had issued for flavored e-cigarette products. The 5th Circuit decision put that circuit at odds with most other circuit courts, which have upheld similar orders. Our brief highlighted the role of flavors in addicting children to e-cigarettes and the ongoing nationwide prevalence of the problem of youth use of these novel tobacco products.
Advocacy in the News
•NYT: Biden Delays Ban on Menthol Cigarettes
•Forbes: Biden Admin Again Delays Proposed Menthol Cigarettes Ban
•USA Today: Do cancer patients get enough time off work? Most struggle to balance finances, job duties
•Radio Health Journal: Cancer Drug Shortage: Deciding Who Lives And Who Dies
•CNN: Civil rights, medical groups sue FDA over ‘almost unconscionable’ delay in ban on menthol tobacco products
•CBS News Radio: News on the Hour
•US News: Anti-smoking Groups Sue FDA Again Over Menthol Ban Delays
•Politico : Beating cancer used to be bipartisan. What happened?
•Alabama Reflector : Alabama lawmakers weigh Medicaid expansion approaches in Southern states
•WJTV: Mississippi man falls into healthcare coverage gap
•ABC7: Activists ask California legislators to expand access to cancer services (Spanish)
•Des Moines Register: Expand access to biomarker testing
•WENY: A look at cancer prevention in the state budget
•La Crosse Tribune: Linda DeGarmo: US Sen. Baldwin Brought Federal Support to Palliative Care
