Guide Explains How Affordable Care Act Helps Cancer Patients, Families

ROCKY HILL — Cancer patients and their families looking for information on how the new Affordable Care Act will help them better access health care can now turn to a new consumer-friendly guide developed by the American Cancer Society and its advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN).

The guide, which features the stories of real people who have battled cancer or helped loved ones fight the disease, describes how provisions of the law improve the quality of care and make health care more affordable, available, and easier for patients to understand.

“This consumer guide is part of the American Cancer Society’s efforts to educate the public about the Affordable Care Act and its benefits for cancer patients, survivors, and their families,” said Bryte Johnson, director of government relations for the American Cancer Society. “We want people to understand that the law, while not perfect, will meaningfully improve the health care system for people with cancer and save lives.”

Since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law on March 23, key provisions have gone into effect that are giving seniors, children, and the uninsured better access to quality, affordable health care. These provisions, as well as those that will be implemented over the next few years, will meaningfully improve the health care system for people touched by cancer.

The new law will ensure that people with cancer will no longer:

*Be denied coverage due to preexisting conditions;

*Be charged more for their coverage because of health status;

*Be faced with annual or lifetime coverage limits that cause a sudden termination of care; or

*Have to choose between saving their life or their life savings because they lack access to affordable coverage.

The guide outlines how the new Affordable Care Act will improve the quality and cost of health care in the United States for people with cancer and those at risk for cancer. It divides the information into easy-to-understand sections, including: Providing Quality Care; Making Health Care More Affordable; Making Health Care More Easily Available; and Making Health Care More Simple.

The guide also clarifies some of the myths about the new law that began circulating during the legislative debate. In addition, the guide highlights three real-world stories of people who exemplify how the Affordable Care Act is meaningfully improving the health care system.

“By describing how the Affordable Care Act has positively impacted the lives of real people, we hope cancer patients and their families will gain a clear understanding of how the new health care law can help them,” said Ms Johnson. “This guide provides simple and straightforward information for patients about what is actually included in the law and when the provisions take effect.”

The guide is posted on the websites both the American Cancer Society, cancer.org, and ACS CAN, acscan.org.