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You are here: Home1 / Policy2 / Access to Care

Access to Care

Access to quality, affordable cancer care is essential for anyone with a cancer diagnosis. Access includes adequate health insurance that covers needed treatments without leaving people with cancer to suffer “financial toxicity.” People with cancer also need the ability to participate in a clinical trial, if it represents a potential treatment option.

Prior to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), cancer survivors were at the mercy of the health care system, often forced to pay exorbitant premiums or simply denied coverage altogether. Today, America’s 17 million cancer survivors benefit from the ACA’s patient protections that provide them with quality, affordable, and accessible health care coverage. Through the ACA, cancer patients and survivors can now purchase insurance through Healthcare.gov and state insurance exchanges. The ACA has afforded protections related to out-of-pocket expenses, lifetime caps, and pre-existing conditions.

NCCS believes in the following principles for access to care:

  • Individuals with pre-existing conditions must not be denied coverage or charged higher premiums.
  • Plans must cover all essential health care needs.
  • Adequate financial assistance must be provided to ensure people with low and moderate incomes can purchase health insurance.
  • Insurers must not discriminate against older Americans, who are disproportionately impacted by cancer, or women.
  • Cost-sharing protections must be maintained, including caps on out-of-pocket costs and the elimination of annual and lifetime maximum benefits.
  • States should take advantage of the ACA’s Medicaid expansion, which provides coverage to low income individuals living with cancer.
  • People with pre-existing conditions must not be segregated into high-risk pools, which are expensive and burdensome and do not meet the needs of cancer patients.
  • Cancer patients must have access to comprehensive and well-coordinated cancer care, including clinical trials.

“For a cancer survivor, dealing with the collateral damage of cancer treatment and the continued surveillance for recurrence or secondary cancers, going without insurance is simply not an option. I am very worried that the proposed replacement for the ACA will harm cancer survivors, particularly people with low incomes and people over the age of 50. We simply can’t go back to the days before the ACA when cancer survivors could be denied coverage, and we must ensure people have access to quality, affordable health insurance.”

Michael Kappel, NCCS board member and 13-year colon cancer survivor

Advocate Spotlight Wenora Johnson

Wenora Johnson: The Art of Caregiving: Connection and Kindness

June 1, 2022
Advocate Spotlight June 2022 - Wenora Johnson “One of the most important lessons…
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Beyond the Checkbox: Cancer Survivorship Care Delivery in the Community - Dr. Crystal Labbato

Webinar – Beyond the Checkbox: Delivering Meaningful Cancer Survivorship Care in a Community Setting

May 20, 2022
Last week, NCCS hosted a conversation with cancer control expert and epidemiologist Otis Brawley, MD. NCCS CEO Shelley Fuld Nasso moderated the discussion. “We knew exactly who we wanted to be our first guest speaker in this series. Dr. Otis Brawley is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University, an oncologist and an epidemiologist. [...]
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Michelle Mollica PhD Webinar Survivorship Needs for People with Metastatic and Advanced Cancers

Webinar: Survivorship Needs for People Living with Advanced and Metastatic Cancers

May 6, 2022
Last week, NCCS hosted a conversation with cancer control expert and epidemiologist Otis Brawley, MD. NCCS CEO Shelley Fuld Nasso moderated the discussion. “We knew exactly who we wanted to be our first guest speaker in this series. Dr. Otis Brawley is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University, an oncologist and an epidemiologist. [...]
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https://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/Webinar-Michelle-Mollica-Metastatic-Survivorship-Needs.jpg 600 1200 NCCS Staff https://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NCCA-Logo.png NCCS Staff2022-05-06 11:32:162022-05-06 12:35:15Webinar: Survivorship Needs for People Living with Advanced and Metastatic Cancers

Erin McGee Ferrell: The Art of Cancer Advocacy

May 5, 2022
Advocate Spotlight May 2022 - Erin McGee Ferrell Erin McGee Ferrell’s cancer…
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Elevate Ambassadors 2022 Announced

NCCS Announces New Elevate Ambassadors Selected to Improve Local Survivorship Care

April 28, 2022
The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) is proud to announce the participants…
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Brad Power cancer advocacy innovation

Brad Power: The Power of Innovation in Cancer Advocacy

April 6, 2022
Advocate Spotlight April 2022 - Brad Power Brad Power was a process innovation…
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Webinar: A Nurse-Led Care Model to Improve Access to Rural Cancer Survivorship Care

March 25, 2022
Last week, NCCS hosted a conversation with cancer control expert and epidemiologist Otis Brawley, MD. NCCS CEO Shelley Fuld Nasso moderated the discussion. “We knew exactly who we wanted to be our first guest speaker in this series. Dr. Otis Brawley is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University, an oncologist and an epidemiologist. [...]
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COVID-19 and Cancer: Otis Brawley, MD on the Future of the Pandemic

March 17, 2022
Last week, NCCS hosted a conversation with cancer control expert and epidemiologist Otis Brawley, MD. NCCS CEO Shelley Fuld Nasso moderated the discussion. “We knew exactly who we wanted to be our first guest speaker in this series. Dr. Otis Brawley is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University, an oncologist and an epidemiologist. [...]
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https://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/COVID-19-Dr.-Brawley-2022-03-15-feat.jpg 600 1200 NCCS Staff https://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NCCA-Logo.png NCCS Staff2022-03-17 16:37:442022-03-18 12:05:54COVID-19 and Cancer: Otis Brawley, MD on the Future of the Pandemic
Page 1 of 98123›»

Policy

  • Policy
    • Quality Cancer Care
    • Access to Care
    • Health Equity
    • Redefining Functional Status (RFS)
    • 2020 State of Cancer Survivorship Survey
    • Cancer Care Planning and Communications Act (CCPCA)

Latest News

Advocate Spotlight Wenora Johnson

Wenora Johnson: The Art of Caregiving: Connection and Kindness

June 1, 2022
Advocate Spotlight June 2022 - Wenora Johnson “One of the most important lessons…
Read more
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Beyond the Checkbox: Cancer Survivorship Care Delivery in the Community - Dr. Crystal Labbato

Webinar – Beyond the Checkbox: Delivering Meaningful Cancer Survivorship Care in a Community Setting

May 20, 2022
Last week, NCCS hosted a conversation with cancer control expert and epidemiologist Otis Brawley, MD. NCCS CEO Shelley Fuld Nasso moderated the discussion. “We knew exactly who we wanted to be our first guest speaker in this series. Dr. Otis Brawley is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University, an oncologist and an epidemiologist. [...]
Read more
https://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/Beyond-the-Checkbox-Crystal-Labbato.jpg 600 1200 NCCS Staff https://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NCCA-Logo.png NCCS Staff2022-05-20 13:39:272022-05-20 13:39:27Webinar – Beyond the Checkbox: Delivering Meaningful Cancer Survivorship Care in a Community Setting
Michelle Mollica PhD Webinar Survivorship Needs for People with Metastatic and Advanced Cancers

Webinar: Survivorship Needs for People Living with Advanced and Metastatic Cancers

May 6, 2022
Last week, NCCS hosted a conversation with cancer control expert and epidemiologist Otis Brawley, MD. NCCS CEO Shelley Fuld Nasso moderated the discussion. “We knew exactly who we wanted to be our first guest speaker in this series. Dr. Otis Brawley is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University, an oncologist and an epidemiologist. [...]
Read more
https://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/Webinar-Michelle-Mollica-Metastatic-Survivorship-Needs.jpg 600 1200 NCCS Staff https://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NCCA-Logo.png NCCS Staff2022-05-06 11:32:162022-05-06 12:35:15Webinar: Survivorship Needs for People Living with Advanced and Metastatic Cancers

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  • 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
    • 2021 State of Survivorship Survey Results Briefing
    • Cancer Policy and Advocacy Team (CPAT) Symposium 2021
    • From Shadows to Life: A Biography of the Cancer Survivorship Movement
    • Webinars
  • Contact Us

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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