ACA Update | June 9, 2017: Senate Finding Ways to Repeal ACA
There have been several key developments in the past week, starting with Republican leadership sharing a bill of the Senate’s version of the AHCA at a caucus luncheon on Tuesday. The public has yet to see the language being considered, as there have been no public hearings or input from ...
My Takeaway from Hill Visits: Empathy is in Short Supply
With the health reform debate moving to the Senate following passage of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) in the House, I’ve spent the last few weeks meeting with numerous Senate offices on both sides of the aisle. During one such meeting with a Republican Senator’s health policy team, I ...
ACA Update | May 19, 2017: Senate Negotiates their Version of the AHCA, Waits for New CBO Score
This week, NCCS and other patient advocacy organizations met with Senate offices regarding health care reform. The groups explained that the American Health Care Act (AHCA) as passed by the House is a serious threat, and does not in fact protect individuals with pre-existing conditions such as cancer. As we ...
Young Adult Cancer Survivors Worry What the AHCA Would Mean for Them
Last month, I had the honor of speaking at CancerCon, an incredible gathering of 650 adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors, their caregivers, and health care providers and advocates from across the country. Along with Kelsey Nepote, NCCS Advocacy Manager, and Kate Houghton, CEO of Critical Mass, we presented ...
What Caught Our Eye: GOP Lawmakers Face AHCA Backlash at Home, A Profile on New FDA Chief Scott Gottlieb, and Survivorship Care Planning
What Caught Our Eye (WCOE), May 12, 2017 - What Caught Our Eye is our week-in-review blog series, where we recap the cancer policy articles, studies, and stories that caught our attention. - “According to the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, at the highest point of all, the ...
ACA Update | May 5, 2017: AHCA Passes in House, Now Faces Major Obstacles in Senate
Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA), including an amendment authored by Congressman Tom MacArthur (R-NJ) and brokered with members of the Freedom Caucus, which would allow states to opt out of providing essential health benefits and community rating. Essential health benefits (EHBs) are ten ...
What Caught Our Eye: House Passes ACA Repeal, Faces Senate Hurdles; Risky Prostate Cancer Treatment; Medical Debt; ‘Right to Try’; Rx Pricing
What Caught Our Eye is our week-in-review blog series, where we recap the cancer policy articles, studies, and stories that caught our attention. “House Republicans approved their plan to replace the Affordable Care Act on Thursday. Here’s a rundown of key provisions in the American Health Care Act and what ...
NCCS Joins Cancer Organizations to Express Opposition to the American Health Care Act
NCCS joined with patient advocacy organizations in the Cancer Leadership Council (CLC) in submitting a letter to Congressional leaders regarding the American Health Care Act (AHCA): CANCER LEADERSHIP COUNCIL A PATIENT-CENTERED FORUM OF NATIONAL ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS ADDRESSING PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES IN CANCER Cancer Organizations Express Opposition to American Health Care ...
Poor Amendments Cannot Fix A Bad Bill
By Ben Fishman, NCCS Board Member—Three years ago this week, a specially-trained neurosurgeon opened up my scalp, and for next 12 hours, he delicately resected as much of a golf-ball sized tumor as possible without permanently damaging the area of my brain that controls speech and fine motor skills. The ...
ACA Update | April 28, 2017: AHCA 2.0 Is Released (Worse for Patients than the Original Bill)
As we previously reported, the American Health Care Act (AHCA) – the effort to replace the Affordable Care Act – was not even brought to a vote in the House of Representatives before the spring Congressional recess. Members of Congress confirm that advocates who opposed the AHCA were key to ...
