
Coronavirus and Cancer Resources for Survivors
Cancer survivors have expressed concerns and questions about COVID-19, the coronavirus, and how they may be at higher risk due to their cancer history. Here are some resources about COVID-19 generally, and its impact for cancer survivors specifically. NCCS is seeking answers from public health experts on the coronavirus and its impact on cancer patients and survivors. Please leave a comment [...]

ACA Update | June 9, 2017: Senate Finding Ways to Repeal ACA
There have been several key developments in the past week, starting with Republican leadership sharing a bill of the Senate’s version of the AHCA at a caucus luncheon on Tuesday. The public has yet to see the language being considered, as there have been no public hearings or input from experts in the health care or patient advocacy space. NCCS understands the bill will likely be quite similar to the House version. [...]

ACA Update | June 2, 2017: AHCA is Widely Unpopular, Senate Continues Negotiations
During meetings with Senate offices this week, NCCS learned that negotiations continue and a consensus on the Senate version of the AHCA has yet to be struck among Republicans in the chamber. However, we also learned alarming news that the Senate version is likely to be very close to the version the House passed in early May. Anything that remotely resembles the AHCA would be catastrophic, and we cannot allow such a [...]

ACA Update | May 26, 2017: CBO Confirms 23 Million More Uninsured Under AHCA, Trump Undecided on 2018 Subsidies
This week, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released their analysis on the impacts of the American Health Care Act (AHCA). As expected, the results were devastating. The AHCA would leave 23 million more Americans uninsured by 2026 than under the current law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The coverage [...]

NCCS Statement on CBO Report of Revised American Health Care Act
NCCS today issued the following statement following the release of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report on the updated American Health Care Act. “Today’s CBO report shows what we already knew—that the American Health Care Act (AHCA) would be devastating for cancer patients, survivors, and their families,” said NCCS CEO Shelley Fuld Nasso. “The revised AHCA that was passed by the House [...]

NCCS Sends Letter to Sen. Hatch on Health Care Reform Priorities
(NCCS) sent a letter to Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, in response to his office’s request for input from stakeholders regarding health care reform. “As the Senate continues to discuss health care reform, and in light of the destructive American Health Care Act passed by the House, we must continue conveying the priorities of cancer patients and survivors,” said NCCS CEO Shelley Fuld Nasso. [...]

Young Adult Cancer Survivors Worry What the AHCA Would Mean for Them
Last month, I had the honor of speaking at CancerCon, an incredible gathering of 650 adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors, their caregivers, and health care providers and advocates from across the country. Along with Kelsey Nepote, NCCS Advocacy Manager, and Kate Houghton, CEO of Critical Mass, we presented “From Patient to Advocate – Using Your Voice to Make Change.” We talked about the journey from [...]

ACA Update | May 5, 2017: AHCA Passes in House, Now Faces Major Obstacles in Senate
Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA), including an amendment authored by Congressman Tom MacArthur (R-NJ) and brokered with members of the Freedom Caucus, which would allow states to opt out of providing essential health benefits and community rating. Essential health benefits (EHBs) are ten services the ACA requires insurers to include in all plans, such as hospitalization [...]

NCCS Joins Cancer Organizations to Express Opposition to the American Health Care Act
NCCS joined with patient advocacy organizations in the Cancer Leadership Council (CLC) in submitting a letter to Congressional leaders…

Poor Amendments Cannot Fix A Bad Bill
By Ben Fishman, NCCS Board Member—Three years ago this week, a specially-trained neurosurgeon opened up my scalp, and for next 12 hours, he delicately resected as much of a golf-ball sized tumor as possible without permanently damaging the area of my brain that controls speech and fine motor skills. The fact that I can type this article on a normal keyboard and read it aloud is a testament to the doctor’s skill. Without him, or the team who supported the procedure [...]

ACA Update | April 28, 2017: AHCA 2.0 Is Released (Worse for Patients than the Original Bill)
As we previously reported, the American Health Care Act (AHCA) – the effort to replace the Affordable Care Act – was not even brought to a vote in the House of Representatives before the spring Congressional recess. Members of Congress confirm that advocates who opposed the AHCA were key to the failure of the original bill. Earlier this week, the full text of an amendment to the AHCA was published and is now being considered [...]