NCCS Concerned With Impact of Tax Bill on Cancer Patients

 

Silver Spring, MD – The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) issued the following statement regarding Congressional passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, H.R. 1. The bill is now headed to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

“By including repeal of the individual mandate, the tax bill will make access to quality, affordable health insurance more difficult for many Americans, including cancer survivors,” said NCCS CEO Shelley Fuld Nasso. “An estimated 13 million fewer Americans will have health insurance by 2027, and premiums will increase by 10%. Middle-class individuals who do not qualify for subsidies will be hardest hit by premium increases. To make matters worse, the $1.4 trillion cost of the tax bill will likely trigger automatic cuts to Medicare. We are deeply concerned about cuts to Medicare, as more than half of cancer survivors are over the age of 65 and rely on Medicare for their treatment.

“With the incredible outpouring of support in defense of the Affordable Care Act after numerous attempts to repeal it, and the robust enrollment numbers despite a shortened enrollment period and little outreach and advertising, it is clear that Americans support access to affordable health insurance. Tax reform should not come at the expense of cancer patients, and the same goes for any effort at entitlement reform. Cancer patients, survivors, and their families must have access to affordable, quality care regardless of their socio-economic status or where they live.”