• 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

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

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 of the 2022 – 2023 Elevating Survivorship…
Read more
https://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/Elevate-Ambassadors-2022-Announcement-1200×600px.jpg 600 1200 NCCS Staff http://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NCCA-Logo.png NCCS Staff2022-04-28 13:47:442022-05-04 14:04:44NCCS Announces New Elevate Ambassadors Selected to Improve Local Survivorship Care
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 researcher and consultant with more than 35 years…
Read more
https://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/Advocate-Spotlight-Brad-Power-2022-Apr.jpg 600 1200 NCCS Staff http://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NCCA-Logo.png NCCS Staff2022-04-06 13:33:212022-05-04 14:04:35Brad Power: The Power of Innovation in Cancer Advocacy

Webinar: A Nurse-Led Care Model to Improve Access to Rural Cancer Survivorship Care

March 25, 2022
Pam DeGuzman, PhD, RN, joined NCCS to discuss the development and evaluation of Comprehensive Assistance: Rural Interventions, Nursing…
Read more
https://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/CARING-Webinar-post-event.jpg 600 1200 NCCS Staff http://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NCCA-Logo.png NCCS Staff2022-03-25 14:38:512022-08-02 04:54:49Webinar: A Nurse-Led Care Model to Improve Access to Rural Cancer Survivorship Care

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. [...]
Read more
https://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/COVID-19-Dr.-Brawley-2022-03-15-feat.jpg 600 1200 NCCS Staff http://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

Jean Di Carlo-Wagner: Don’t be Embarrassed to Death

March 2, 2022
In March of 2003, Jean Di Carlo-Wagner listened to a public service announcement by Katie Couric, in which she discussed the symptoms…
Read more
https://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/Jean-Di-Carlo-Wagner-feat-img.jpg 628 1200 NCCS Staff http://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NCCA-Logo.png NCCS Staff2022-03-02 15:09:582022-03-03 10:59:34Jean Di Carlo-Wagner: Don’t be Embarrassed to Death
white house winter

NCCS Joins Groups in Urging Reinstatement of Emergency Paid Sick and Family Leave in Supplemental COVID-19 Relief Package

February 4, 2022
NCCS has advocated for the inclusion of paid family and medical leave in the Build Back Better Act and will continue to elevate this…
Read more
https://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/stock-winter-white-house.jpg 628 1200 NCCS Staff http://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NCCA-Logo.png NCCS Staff2022-02-04 11:26:562022-02-10 11:37:26NCCS Joins Groups in Urging Reinstatement of Emergency Paid Sick and Family Leave in Supplemental COVID-19 Relief Package
Moonshot Logo Wide

NCCS Applauds Biden Administration’s Renewed Cancer Moonshot Initiative

February 3, 2022
The Biden-Harris Administration announced they are relaunching the Cancer Moonshot initiative. As Vice President, Biden launched Cancer…
Read more
https://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Moonshot-Logo-Wide.png 600 1199 NCCS Staff http://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NCCA-Logo.png NCCS Staff2022-02-03 14:04:042022-02-03 14:04:04NCCS Applauds Biden Administration’s Renewed Cancer Moonshot Initiative
Roberta Albany

Roberta Albany: On a Mission to Educate the Black and Brown Cancer Communities

February 2, 2022
“I'm beautiful. I'm blessed, I'm loved, and I'm strong. I'm grateful. I'm victorious. I am a warrior. I am a survivor – but, more…
Read more
https://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/Advocate-Spotlight-Roberta-Albany.jpg 628 1200 NCCS Staff http://canceradvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NCCA-Logo.png NCCS Staff2022-02-02 12:13:042022-02-02 12:13:04Roberta Albany: On a Mission to Educate the Black and Brown Cancer Communities
Page 2 of 99‹1234›»

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

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.

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