Angela Kegler McDowell from Conway, South Carolina was on Capitol Hill recently to meet with South Carolina lawmakers to advocate for health care that is accessible, affordable, available and administratively simple. McDowell was one of 50 American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) volunteers, one from each state, calling for Action: Now Not Later on comprehensive health care reform.
“Health care reform is about saving lives, and there is no time for delay,” said McDowell, ACS CAN volunteer from South Carolina. “Congress must take action NOW, not later, on health care reform. We can not reduce suffering and death from cancer if the country does not improve access to quality, affordable health care.”
New polling data from ACS CAN, the advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, confirms that lack of access to quality, affordable care is a significant barrier in the fight to defeat cancer. The results showed that one in four families affected by cancer says they have had to put off or delay care in the last year because of cost.
People with cancer face enormous challenges finding adequate insurance. Insurers use pre-existing conditions such as a prior cancer diagnosis as a reason to deny or limit coverage. As a result, a person with a history of cancer who is laid off or has to quit work can find it virtually impossible to find coverage on their own.
According to ACS CAN, two-thirds of cancer patients under age 65 who tried to find insurance outside their employer couldn’t find an affordable plan. And for cancer patients, research shows that being uninsured can worsen your chance of survival.
Those who are uninsured are less likely to receive cancer prevention services, more likely to be treated for cancer at late stages of disease, more likely to receive substandard care and services, and more likely to die from their cancer.
“ACS CAN believes that if we can improve the health care system for people with cancer, we will improve it for everyone else as well,” said Dan Smith, president ACS CAN. “By bringing Angela and other cancer advocates from across the country to D.C. we will make it clear to lawmakers that families affected by cancer cannot afford to wait for health care reform—and that the status quo simply isn’t an option.”
While in Washington, D.C., McDowell met with many lawmakers. During the meetings, McDowell called for a bi-partisan and uniquely American solution for fixing the broken health care system that works for families affected by cancer by:
o Refocusing the system to emphasize prevention
o Ending the practice of denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions
o Limiting the cost burden on families by providing care that costs less and covers more
o Ensuring meaningful coverage for all Americans from prevention all the way through quality end of life care
"People shouldn't have to choose between losing their house, their life savings, and everything they own to save their life," said McDowell. “Yes, this is a difficult issue; but, our country is too innovative and too strong to not find a solution. I believe in America's legislative system and, together, we can find an American solution to our problem."
In 2009, more than 1.4 million people in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer and more than 562,000 people will die from the disease. Six in 10 of the lives lost to cancer today could be saved with better access to prevention services like cancer screenings, smoking cessation programs, and public outreach and education to improve diet and increase exercise– that translates into nearly 340,000 people each year.
For more information on ACS CAN’s health care reform campaign, please visit www.acscan.org/healthcare.
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.acscan.org.
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