• 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: Patient Orgs Push Back on ‘Junk Insurance’; Rx ‘Gag Clause’ Bans; What Survivors Wish Others Understand; ACA Premiums; More

October 12, 2018/in Cancer News, Cancer Policy Blog Access to Care, Affordable Care Act, Drug Pricing, Health Care Coverage Health Care Roundup, 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 HIGHLIGHTS

NCCS & Patient Orgs Push Back on Short-term Plans

Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it would allow insurers to offer expanded short-term, limited duration plans, known as “junk insurance.” This action led NCCS to join several other national organizations in filing an amicus curiae brief in support of a lawsuit that challenges the regulation authorizing short-term health insurance plans. The amicus brief explains to the court the potentially devastating impact of short-term health insurance plans on people with cancer and other Americans with serious and chronic diseases. Short term plans do not have to comply with the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) patient protections, including protections for pre-existing conditions or essential health benefits.

In addition to legal action on the short-term plans, there was also legislative action in Congress. On Wednesday, Senate Democrats forced a vote on a resolution that would reject the new CMS rule to allow short-term, limited duration plans. Despite Republican Senator Susan Collins voting in favor of the resolution, it failed to pass. As Kaiser Health News reports, the vote wasn’t a complete loss for Democrats as it forced Republicans to vote to protect health plans that don’t include the ACA’s patient protections, just a month before the midterm elections.

NCCS State-Based Cancer Advocacy Page

NCCS this week launched its first state advocacy webpage that hosts a plethora of resources for advocates who are interested in making an impact at the state and local level to improve cancer care and outcomes. The webpage features an NCCS webinar on state cancer coalitions, an advocacy toolkit, and state-specific resources for your advocacy efforts.

State comprehensive cancer coalitions are funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and are made up of community stakeholders, including patient advocates. NCCS is a National Partner for the CDC’s Comprehensive Cancer Control Program and will assist state coalitions in their development of cancer control plans. Check out our state advocacy webpage to learn how you can get involved in state policy and contact Lindsay Houff at lhouff@canceradvocacy.org if you have any questions.


CHART OF THE WEEK

What Is Your State Doing to Affect Access to Adequate Health Insurance?

The Commonwealth Fund

With ongoing uncertainty at the federal level about the ACA and patient protections, some states are taking matters into their own hands. Visit this site to see if and how your state may be engaged to impact access to adequate health insurance.


IMPORTANT READS

ACA Premiums to Go Down

Via Washington Post

For the first time since the ACA was signed into law, insurance premiums for benchmark plans, which are used as a measure of the individual market’s success, are going to drop by 1.5% for 2019. Larry Levitt of the Kaiser Family Foundation says the reason is likely due to the Trump Administration’s decisions to abolish ACA subsidies and repeal the individual mandate, causing insurers to over-price coverage. “The overwhelming reason average benchmark premiums are coming down in 2019 is because premiums went up by so much in 2018,” said Levitt.

Read More »

No More Secrets: Congress Bans Pharmacist 'Gag Orders' On Drug Prices

Via Kaiser Health News

On Wednesday, President Trump signed two bills that would ban gag clauses that prohibit pharmacists from telling customers that paying for their drugs with cash, rather than using their health insurance, could save them money. The bipartisan bill is a step forward to improve transparency in drug pricing. Several states adopted gag clause bans on their own, but this bill would eliminate the gag clauses across the U.S.

When Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) went to a Michigan pharmacy to pick up a prescription recently, she was told it would cost $1,300. “After you peeled me off the ceiling, I called the doctor and screamed and talked to the pharmacist,” she recalled during a hearing last month. “I’m much more aggressive than many in asking questions,” she admitted, and ended up saving $1,260 after she learned she could get an equivalent drug for $40.

Read More »

What Cancer Survivors Wish Others Understand

Barbara Tako, CURE Magazine

A poignant article by Barbara Tako, a breast cancer and melanoma survivor. As she points out, “Cancer took my smile away, but only for a while. Helping others understand what a cancer diagnosis is like will help improve the experience for everyone.”

Read More »


Related Posts

http://canceradvocacy.org/blog/health-care-roundup-oct-5-2018/
http://canceradvocacy.org/blog/health-care-roundup-sept-28-2018/

Tags: aca update, affordable care act, Cancer Survivorship, CMS, drug pricing, health care roundup, Medicare, 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 actualize2018-10-12 16:20:422020-07-06 10:05:23Health Care Roundup: Patient Orgs Push Back on ‘Junk Insurance’; Rx ‘Gag Clause’ Bans; What Survivors Wish Others Understand; ACA Premiums; 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 Joins 11 Organizations in Filing Amicus Curiae Brief Supporting Lawsuit... NCCS News Cancer Policy Matters NCCS Starburst 250px Health Care Roundup: Drug Pricing in TV Ads; Even with Insurance, Serious Illness...
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