• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Rss
  • Store
  • Donate
NCCS - National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Our History
    • Our Team
      • Policy Advisors
    • Employment
    • Partnerships
    • Financial Information
  • Policy
    • Quality Cancer Care
    • Access to Care
    • Health Equity
    • Redefining Functional Status (RFS)
    • 2021 State of Cancer Survivorship Survey
    • 2020 State of Cancer Survivorship Survey
    • Cancer Care Planning and Communications Act (CCPCA)
  • Get Involved
    • What is Advocacy?
    • Cancer Policy and Advocacy Team (CPAT)
    • Survivorship Champions
    • Subscribe to NCCS Updates
    • Elevating Survivorship
    • Survivor Stories
    • Cancerversary
    • State-Based Cancer Advocacy
  • Resources
    • COVID-19 Resources for Cancer Survivors
    • Survivorship Checklist
    • Cancer Survival Toolbox
    • Telehealth
    • Publications
      • Talking With Your Doctor
      • Self Advocacy
      • Employment Rights
      • Remaining Hopeful
    • Cancer Convos Podcast
    • Taking Charge of Your Care
    • Care Planning for Cancer Survivors
    • Tools For Care Providers
    • Order Our Resources
  • News
  • Events
    • Ellen L. Stovall Award
      • Nominations
      • Awardees
      • Committees
      • Sponsors
    • Cancer Policy Roundtable (CPR)
      • Spring 2022 CPR
      • Fall 2021 CPR
      • Spring 2021 CPR
      • Fall 2020 CPR
      • Spring 2020 CPR
    • Cancer Policy and Advocacy Team (CPAT) Virtual Symposium 2022
    • 2021 State of Survivorship Survey Results Briefing
    • Webinars
  • Contact Us
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
  • 0Shopping Cart

Your generous year-end donation will be matched $1 for $1    DONATE

NCCS Starburst 250px

Health Care Roundup: CMS Issues New Waiver Options to States to Undermine ACA; Open Enrollment Numbers Still Lag; Role of AI in Health Care; More

November 30, 2018/in Cancer News, Cancer Policy Blog Access to Care, Affordable Care Act, Health Care Coverage, Pre-Existing Conditions, Quality Cancer Care, Survivorship Care NCCS News /by actualize
In order to bring you the latest cancer-related health care policy and news, we at NCCS combined our ACA Updates and What Caught Our Eye (WCOE) content into a weekly email and blog post. We aim to make this a concise, one-stop summary of what you need to know as we continue working together to make cancer care better for everyone.

Your feedback is always welcome to make our content more useful to you. Please send comments to feedback@canceradvocacy.org.

Subscribe to our email list and receive these updates in your email box each week »


HEALTH CARE HIGHLIGHT

CMS Issues New Waiver Options to Undermine the Affordable Care Act

This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released four new waiver concepts that would allow states to pursue alternatives to the ACA. This announcement follows recent CMS guidance that outlined broad authority to the states to design their health care systems through a waiver of key ACA requirements and provides states with more specific options for avoiding ACA standards.

The four concepts would allow states to:

  1. Redirect ACA subsidies to personal accounts
  2. Design their own subsidy program that deviates from the current ACA standards
  3. Direct ACA subsidies to purchase non-ACA compliant plans such as junk plans, or catastrophic plans
  4. Use waiver money to support risk stabilization through reinsurance or high-risk pools

This waiver guidance could have serious implications for people with cancer as it would encourage states to design systems that would deprive cancer patients of adequate and affordable insurance options. If junk plans become eligible for ACA subsidies, then ACA-compliant plans that include critical patient protections such as pre-existing conditions protections and essential health benefits would become unaffordable for many. By directing federal assistance to junk and other skimpy insurance plans, CMS is encouraging states to provide insurance options that will largely be inadequate for anyone newly diagnosed with cancer who need comprehensive insurance coverage.

NCCS will express its strenuous objections to the waiver guidance during the open comment period, even though the Trump Administration has made clear that it is moving ahead with the waiver plan even before the comment period ends. NCCS will collaborate with other organizations representing the needs of patients in efforts to block this most recent effort to undermine the ACA and the people with pre-existing conditions who are served by the ACA.

Read more about the implications in this Health Affairs article »

Read the full statement from NCCS about the waiver concepts »


CHART OF THE WEEK

KFF Tracking Poll – November 2018: Priorities for New Congress and the Future of the ACA and Medicaid Expansion

by Kaiser Family Foundation

The November Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll contains a lot of interesting information. One example is the chart below, which shows that despite the fact that Congress repealed the penalty for not having health insurance last year, only 31% of respondents knew it.


IMPORTANT READS

ACA Sign-ups still trailing in fourth week of open enrollment

Modern Healthcare
(Free registration may be required to view article)

More than 2.4 million people signed up for coverage through HealthCare.gov in the first four weeks of the Affordable Care Act's sixth open enrollment, about 350,000 fewer than during the same period last year. While insurance exchange premiums for 2019 coverage are lower for many people across the nation, the absence of the individual mandate penalty next year and expanded availability of alternative coverage could be contributing to the slow-down in enrollment.

Read More »

Is Trump Pushing Health Insurance Innovation Or An ACA Rollback?

Kaiser Health News

In announcing additional flexibility for states, CMS Administrator Verma stated that the ACA’s requirements were impossible for states to meet and said, “I’m confident states will come up with ideas that will work better.” Administrator Verma says that pre-existing conditions protections remain, but health policy experts point to concerns about bifurcating the insurance marketplace, raising rates for people with health needs who need more comprehensive coverage.

Read More »

Medical devices for pain, other conditions have caused more than 80,000 deaths since 2008

STAT News

An investigation found significant patient harm, including more than 80,000 deaths, from medical devices. The report notes that with its medical device approval process, the Food and Drug Administration “puts people at risk by pushing devices through an abbreviated approval process, then responds slowly when it comes to forcing companies to correct sometimes life-threatening products.” The day after the investigation was published, the FDA announced plans to overhaul the medical device review and approval system.

Read More »

Combating Cancer: How AI Will Revolutionize Healthcare

Fortune

Simone Song, a senior partner at venture capital firm Ori Healthcare, tells Fortune’s Global Tech Forum that she invests primarily in biotech firms dedicated to tackling cancer, particularly enterprises with an AI-focus.

Read More »


Related Posts

http://canceradvocacy.org/nccs-news/nccs-strongly-objects-to-new-cms-waiver-options-that-seek-to-further-undermine-the-aca/
http://canceradvocacy.org/blog/health-care-roundup-nov-9-2018/

Tags: aca update, Advocacy, affordable care act, cancer care, Cancer Survivorship, CMS, FDA, HHS, patient first, pre-existing conditions, research, short-term health plans, What Caught Our Eye
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on LinkedIn
https://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/NCCS-Starburst-250px.png 250 250 actualize http://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NCCA-Logo.png actualize2018-11-30 15:29:142018-11-30 15:29:14Health Care Roundup: CMS Issues New Waiver Options to States to Undermine ACA; Open Enrollment Numbers Still Lag; Role of AI in Health Care; More

Latest News

Kara Kenan Advocate Spotlight

Kara Kenan: Helping Others is the Greatest Reward of Advocacy

August 3, 2022
“Nobody wins afraid of losing” rings true for Kara Kenan, a breast cancer survivor. It’s her favorite line from Chris Stapleton’s…
Read more
https://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/Advocate-Spotlight-Kara-Kenan.jpg 600 1200 NCCS Staff http://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NCCA-Logo.png NCCS Staff2022-08-03 12:20:482022-08-03 12:20:48Kara Kenan: Helping Others is the Greatest Reward of Advocacy
Care and Career Support From Health Systems to Employers Webinar

Webinar – Care and Career Support: From Health Systems to Employers

August 3, 2022
NCCS hosted a webinar about the unique demands of caregiving in cancer and strategies that employers and health systems might engage…
Read more
https://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/Care-and-Career-Support-webinar-post-1200px.jpg 600 1200 NCCS Staff http://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NCCA-Logo.png NCCS Staff2022-08-03 10:24:462022-08-03 10:24:46Webinar – Care and Career Support: From Health Systems to Employers
Bethany Ross

Bethany Ross: Advocating for Quality Cancer Care Through Storytelling

July 7, 2022
Advocate Spotlight July 2022 - Bethany Ross Bethany Ross is a four-year neuroendocrine cancer survivor, or “cancer badass,”…
Read more
https://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/Advocate-Spotlight-Bethany-Ross-web.jpg 600 1200 NCCS Staff http://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NCCA-Logo.png NCCS Staff2022-07-07 16:53:522022-07-07 16:53:52Bethany Ross: Advocating for Quality Cancer Care Through Storytelling

Take Action

Make An Impact

We are relentless in improving the quality of care and life after a cancer diagnosis. Your support makes all the difference right now.

Make a Gift »

Join CPAT

The NCCS Cancer Policy & Advocacy Team (CPAT) is a program for survivors and caregivers to learn about pressing policy issues that affect quality cancer care in order to be engaged as advocates in public policy around the needs of cancer survivors.

Share Your Story

NCCS represents the millions of Americans who share a common experience – the survivorship experience – living with, through and beyond a cancer diagnosis.

STAY CONNECTED

Together we can improve cancer care for survivors! Sign up to be the first to know about cancer policy issues and ways to take action

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Our History
    • Our Team
      • Policy Advisors
    • Employment
    • Partnerships
    • Financial Information
  • Policy
    • Quality Cancer Care
    • Access to Care
    • Health Equity
    • Redefining Functional Status (RFS)
    • 2021 State of Cancer Survivorship Survey
    • 2020 State of Cancer Survivorship Survey
    • Cancer Care Planning and Communications Act (CCPCA)
  • Get Involved
    • What is Advocacy?
    • Cancer Policy and Advocacy Team (CPAT)
    • Survivorship Champions
    • Subscribe to NCCS Updates
    • Elevating Survivorship
    • Survivor Stories
    • Cancerversary
    • State-Based Cancer Advocacy
  • Resources
    • COVID-19 Resources for Cancer Survivors
    • Survivorship Checklist
    • Cancer Survival Toolbox
    • Telehealth
    • Publications
      • Talking With Your Doctor
      • Self Advocacy
      • Employment Rights
      • Remaining Hopeful
    • Cancer Convos Podcast
    • Taking Charge of Your Care
    • Care Planning for Cancer Survivors
    • Tools For Care Providers
    • Order Our Resources
  • News
  • Events
    • Ellen L. Stovall Award
      • Nominations
      • Awardees
      • Committees
      • Sponsors
    • Cancer Policy Roundtable (CPR)
      • Spring 2022 CPR
      • Fall 2021 CPR
      • Spring 2021 CPR
      • Fall 2020 CPR
      • Spring 2020 CPR
    • Cancer Policy and Advocacy Team (CPAT) Virtual Symposium 2022
    • 2021 State of Survivorship Survey Results Briefing
    • Webinars
  • Contact Us

National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
8455 Colesville Road  |  Suite 930  |  Silver Spring, MD 20910
877-NCCS-YES  |  info@canceradvocacy.org
Privacy Policy  |  Terms and Conditions

Copyright © 1995-2021 by the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, NCCS, Cancer Survival Toolbox, and related Logos are registered in the United States as trademarks of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.

NCCS Strongly Objects to New CMS Waiver Options That Seek to Further Undermine... NCCS News Cancer Policy Matters NCCS Starburst 250px Health Care Roundup: NCCS Meets with Senate Offices Re CMS Waivers; Poor Hospital...
Scroll to top
Get Updates From NCCS

Be the first to hear about cancer policy and survivorship issues! Subscribe and receive the biweekly NCCS Health Care Roundup, invites to webinars and events, and more.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Connect With Us

Twitter     Facebook     Instagram     LinkedIn     YouTube

Harmar Brereton, MD

Founder
Northeast Regional Cancer Institute

 

“Perhaps one of the most impactful collaborations in Dr. Brereton’s extraordinary career remains his early work and long friendship with Ellen Stovall. Through him, and in turn through the thousands of lives he has touched, Ellen’s work continues, and her mission lives on.”

—Karen M. Saunders
President, Northeast Regional Cancer Institute