​A message from ACS CAN President Lisa Lacasse

Last week, ACS CAN issued a press release in response to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announcement about the elimination of over 10,000 jobs and a major restructuring of key agencies. The statement, led by ACS and ACS CAN interim CEO Dr. Wayne Frederick, expressed concerns regarding the potential impact of these changes on essential organizations within the cancer care continuum, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Yesterday, I posted on LinkedIn about layoffs at the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products and the shuttering of the CDC’s Office of Smoking and Health. These actions jeopardize public health advancements to reduce cancer and other chronic diseases by retreating from proven tobacco control efforts critical for safeguarding public health. These are just examples of the concerning cuts happening across the agencies under HHS. ACS CAN is urging the administration to reconsider how these reductions to critical agencies could affect the health and well-being of people nationwide and our collective fight against cancer.

The concerns about the latest administration activity followed the mid-March passage of a yearlong Continuing Resolution (CR) that included cuts to cancer research in the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, in which cancer is the largest recipient of funds. ACS CAN reacted with disappointment that the CR also failed to include increases for research and programs at the National Cancer Institute and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The compounded impact on our nation's critical biomedical research eco-system cannot be understated and we will continue to do everything we can to elevate our voices to prevent further cuts to critical research programs patients rely on, urging Congress to support increases in cancer research funding and prevention programs in the FY26 budget.

We remain dedicated to protecting cancer patients' access to the quality, affordable care they need. We continue to urge lawmakers to protect health insurance through Medicaid at all costs. Our grassroots network is actively engaged in this effort by making phone calls, sending emails, and visiting lawmakers. In addition, we are collecting personal stories and running advertisements to amplify the voices of patients in our fight to prevent cuts to this essential program. As part of our efforts, ACS CAN volunteers will be advocating for the protection of Medicaid coverage by attending meetings at the U.S. Capitol and in 12 targeted districts. They will also participate in the Partnership to Protect Coverage (PPC) virtual lobby day on April 10 and petition for Medicaid protection in key areas.

As we pursue these critical efforts, we also celebrate significant advancements in health care reform. In March, we proudly marked the 15th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a landmark law that has transformed access to health care in the U.S. We issued a statement highlighting its positive impacts and urging lawmakers to protect critical patient protections in the law. ACS CAN continues to call on Congress to preserve Medicaid and to extend the enhanced premium tax credits (EPTCs) for the Marketplace before they expire, which would otherwise leave millions without access to their current health plans and affordable, quality health coverage options.

Ending cancer as we know it, for everyone, remains our driving vision. That's why we will continue working with lawmakers, advocates and partners nationwide to ensure that cancer remains a top national priority despite recent threats to progress.

If you haven't already, I encourage you to read and share our 2024 Advocacy Accomplishments Report, which highlights the significant impact of a year of advocacy efforts touching the lives of over 29 million people. This success underscores our strong commitment to increasing access to advancements in cancer care, influencing effective tobacco control measures, and securing increased funding for cancer research.

I'm excited to invite you to ACS CAN's 15th Annual National Forum on the Future of Health Care on May 14, 2025, at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. This forum is a key opportunity to bring together leaders and experts to discuss critical issues in cancer prevention, treatment and access to care. For those unable to attend in person, the event will be live-streamed. This year's event, "Breaking Down Barriers to Cancer Screening and Early Detection," will highlight the latest advancements in screening technologies and explore solutions to improve access and affordability. Register here by May 12. 

Thank you for your unwavering dedication to this work and for being a powerful voice in the fight against cancer. Together, we will keep pushing for and protecting policies that reduce the cancer burden and improve lives nationwide. 

Lisa​

More Highlights

Axios What's Next Summit: Participating in the Axios What's Next Summit was an incredible opportunity to highlight the urgent need for collaboration in expanding access to cancer care. I joined Penny Heaton from Johnson & Johnson in a conversation about how policy, industry, and advocacy must work together to break down barriers, increase clinical trial access and ensure patients benefit from the latest advancements in cancer treatment. These partnerships are essential to making meaningful progress in the fight against cancer. ​

ACS CAN HPV Policy Symposium: Catch the replay of this two-day virtual event focused on efforts to reduce and eliminate the burden of HPV-related cancers in the U.S. Attendees explored public policies, strategies and approaches that have a meaningful impact on HPV cancer prevention, screening, and early detection, diagnostic care, treatment and survivorship.

This April, we are celebrating Minority Health Month, a time to raise awareness about the health disparities affecting communities of color and to advocate for solutions that advance health equity. Established by HHS, Minority Health Month began to highlight the unequal burden of disease and promote policies that improve access to care for historically underserved populations. At ACS CAN, we remain committed to ensuring that every individual, regardless of race or background, has a fair and just opportunity to prevent, detect, and survive cancer.

Judicial Updates

In a major civil rights case pending before the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), ACS CAN urged the high court to protect the rights of individuals with Medicaid to choose their own medical provider. On March 12, ACS CAN led partner organizations in filing an amicus curiae brief at SCOTUS in the case of Medina v. Planned Parenthood. At issue in the case is whether Medicaid beneficiaries may enforce the right given to them by the Medicaid Act by using the civil rights law 42 U.S.C. Section 1983 (Section 1983).

The brief highlights the critical importance of Medicaid in disease prevention and treatment, as well as extensive research showing a strong link between access to Medicaid and improved health outcomes, emphasizing Medicaid's critical role in rural areas. The brief includes extensive original research published by the American Cancer Society and underscores the importance of patients being able to choose their provider using Section 1983. Read the release here. ​

​Federal Updates

Medicaid: ACS CAN is actively advocating to safeguard Medicaid coverage as budget reconciliation negotiations continue in the House and Senate. Leadership and committees in both chambers are working to align their topline numbers and hope to have an agreement on a budget resolution by the end of next week. The House-approved bill includes $880 billion in cuts, posing a significant threat to the insurance program that serves the nation's most vulnerable populations. In the coming weeks, ACS CAN volunteers will join other patient organizations in virtual meetings, and ACS CAN will be driving petition efforts through targeted email campaigns.

FY 2025 Appropriations: As mentioned, on March 15, the Fiscal Year 2025 Continuing Resolution was signed into law. The funding bill largely reverts to FY 2024 funding levels. It includes no increases for federal cancer research or prevention funding and significant cuts to the Department of Defense's Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), which also funds a large amount of cancer science.

Under the bill, most FY24 bill levels carry over into FY25:

• National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) received the same amounts as in FY24.  
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) cancer prevention and treatment programs will be at the discretion of the administration because they are not explicitly listed in the FY24 bill text. 
• National Institutes of Health's (NIH) overall base budget is the same as the prior year, but $280 million cut to some non-cancer specific Cures Act programs.
• The bill cut CDMRP funding by $859 million or 57%. CDMRP includes diseases beyond cancer, but in FY24, there was $592 million in cancer research. There is still some uncertainty about how cuts will be administered through the Department of Defense (DOD).

SCREENS for Cancer Act (H.R. 2381): Reps. Joe Morelle (D-NY-25) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01) introduced the SCREENS for Cancer Act in the House. The bipartisan legislation would reauthorize the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) for fiscal years 2026 through 2030. For more than 30 years, the NBCCEDP has effectively provided critical breast and cervical cancer screening, diagnostic tests and treatment to underserved, limited-income, underinsured and uninsured communities nationwide. ACS CAN issued a press release, contributed a quote for the sponsors' press release and created a call to action for volunteers to advocate for cosponsors.

Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) Screening Coverage Act (H.R. 842/S. 339): The House bill has 174 cosponsors, and the Senate bill has 36 cosponsors. This bipartisan legislation, the most sponsored health care bill in the 118th Congress, was considered with several other health care riders that were ultimately removed from a year-end package in the Senate. While the amendment was not successful, the fact that MCED legislation was considered is a big victory. As we continue to seek cosponsors for the bill, we remain optimistic MCED will be considered before the end of the 119th Congress.

Confirmed Nominations:

• Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., PhD, was confirmed to serve as Director of the NIH. ACS CAN issued a press statement urging the new NIH Director to prioritize an effective, transparent and evidence-based funding infrastructure to ensure continuity in research progress and ongoing U.S. global leadership in the biomedical sciences. 
• Marty Makary, M.D., was confirmed to serve as Commissioner of the FDA. ACS CAN issued a press statement to underscore the critical role of the agency and institutes in the cancer fight and our mission to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. 

Hill Events:

• ACS CAN Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) Hill Briefing: ACS CAN jointly hosted and participated in the Overcoming Barriers and Advancing Solutions for Cancer Prevention and Early Detection in AANHPI Communities briefing. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Representative Young Kim (R-CA-40) gave remarks. Other speakers included Dr. Priti Bandi, Scientific Director, Risk Factors & Screening Research, ACS; Nishith Pandya, Director, Federal Advocacy, ACS CAN; and Jung A Han, ACS CAN cancer survivor and volunteer. 
• Delta Action Days: ACS and ACS CAN collaborated to present the Elevating Our Advocacy to Protect Access to Care in the Black Community and End Cancer as We Know It Panel for Delta Sigma Theta's Action Days. Our session addressed the pivotal role of the Affordable Care Act's tax credits in making insurance more affordable and ensuring more individuals have access to the necessary coverage. Tawana Thomas-Johnson, Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer, American Cancer Society moderated the panel. Featured panelists included Yolanda Lawson, M.D., Former Past President, National Medical Association; Jelani Murrain, Director, Federal Advocacy, ACS CAN; Dr. Finie Hunter-Richardson, Assistant Professor, Howard University, Department of Community and Family Medicine; and Yolonda Richardson, President and CEO, Tobacco-Free Kids. ​

​Policy Update

An ACS study finds short-term limited duration insurance (STLD) plans associated with advanced cancer diagnoses. ACS experts emphasize the need for individual state policies to ban or restrict STLD plans, which fail to provide comprehensive coverage and can leave patients with overwhelming costs when diagnosed with fatal diseases.In the large national study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open, American Cancer Society (ACS) researchers found the 2018 federal policy loosening restrictions on STLD insurance plans was associated with an increase in late-stage cancer diagnoses in states without or with inadequate, additional STLD plan regulatory protections. STLD plans do not include critical Affordable Care Act patient protections, including pre-existing condition protections, coverage of essential health services, or caps on coverage, which have been proven to be critical to better cancer outcomes. 

Evidence shows that access to comprehensive health insurance coverage saves lives, but the rise in STLD plans puts lives at risk. ACS CAN continues to advocate for restoring protections and preventing the further proliferation of bare-bones STLD plans that leave individuals vulnerable if faced with a catastrophic diagnosis, including cancer. ​

State Updates

ACS CAN is celebrating a victory in North Dakota. A week after receiving a "do not pass" in committee, House Bill (HB)1283, which will eliminate out-of-pocket costs for follow-up breast cancer screening tests, passed the North Dakota Senate in a vote of 26 to 19. Lawmakers cited ACS CAN's cost share study multiple times on the Senate floor. 

In Indiana, ACS CAN successfully advocated for an amendment to a bill that would remove an enrollment cap, preventing over 200,000 residents from losing Medicaid coverage.

In Iowa, the Protect Medicaid coalition is implementing a paid grassroots strategy to oppose legislation that would repeal Medicaid expansion if federal approval for work requirements are not granted.

In Hawaii, the state is grappling with fiscal pressures due to recent tax cuts and potential federal funding shortfalls, prompting discussions about a possible Special Session to address Medicaid cuts and federal penalties on SNAP. The largest package of state tax cuts from 2024 leaves the state with less money to cope with federal budget cuts. The state will be insolvent if it bears Medicaid cuts, and a recent federal fine on the state SNAP program might threaten federal funds.

In Colorado, a growing $1.2 billion budget shortfall has put critical public health programs at risk, including tobacco control, cancer screening, and patient navigation services. Budget analysts now believe the state has a $1.2 billion shortfall in available revenue, necessitating a focus on defending appropriations for the state's tobacco tax-funded tobacco control & cessation programs, colorectal screening patient navigation program and breast & cervical cancer screening program. ​

Advocacy in the News

• The Hill: RFK Jr.’s critics: 24 percent HHS staffing cuts risk ‘manmade disaster’  
• US News: Tobacco Control Has Saved Nearly 4 Mil. Lives, Study Estimates  
• ABC News: Trump said childhood cancer rates have increased 40% since 1975. Here's what the data shows  
• HealthDay: Cheap Health Insurance Can Delay Cancer Diagnosis, Increase Risk Of Death  
• Boston Globe: Medicaid beneficiary battling cancer in N.H. finds looming federal cuts ‘really scary’  
• KTNV: Local mother shares how cuts to Medicaid would impact her daughter's cancer battle  
• WIBW: Kansas Medicaid Storybook Deliver By American Cancer Society To Lawmakers  
• Long Island Press: Op-Ed: I was diagnosed with cancer, fired from my job — NYS’s paid leave program left me adrift 
• WDTV: 15-year-old Morgantown girl advocates for childhood cancer research in D.C.  
• AL Political Reporter: Cancer advocate urges Alabama senators to protect research funding  
• India West Journal: Fremont Mother Urges Congress To Continue Funding Childhood Cancer Research  
• KXNET: Push to shorten insurance approval delays gains ground in ND  ​