Keith always made sure he paid for health insurance and got annual physicals.  But now that he is fighting stomach cancer and paying high health insurance costs, he had to cash out his 401K and has amassed thousands of dollars in medical debt. 

Jamie had health insurance through her job at a nursing home, but once she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she quickly exceeded her plan’s annual cap and now has about $30,000 in debt.  She sometimes receives three calls a night from collection agencies regarding her medical debt. 

Thomas’ prostate cancer was diagnosed early and eradicated with surgery in 1999.  Due to his past cancer diagnosis, he had trouble finding coverage after he retired, and he now pays about one-quarter of his income toward his health insurance. 

These stories documented in a recent co-branded report from the American Cancer Society and Kaiser Family Foundation called, Spending to Survive: Cancer Patients Confront Holes in the Health Insurance System, are not unique. The American Cancer Society and ACS CAN are at the table of the health care reform debate to ensure the needs of cancer patients are considered when making decisions about the expansion of health insurance to all Americans. 

Find out more about how the American Cancer Society and ACS CAN are taking a stand on this issue, and how you can use your 25th hour to FIGHT BACK and get involved.

In these hard economic times, what would happen to you if you lost your job and your health insurance? And what if you were then diagnosed with cancer?

What if you had health insurance from your employer but found out in the middle of your treatment that you exceeded your cap and now you had to pay tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket? 

What would happen to you? What would happen to any of us?

Unfortunately, some of us may be trying to answer those very questions right now. Thousands of Americans every year are forced to choose between their health and financial devastation. Now more than ever, we can all identify with the possibility of being placed in the shoes of those who are uninsured.

The American Cancer Society and ACS CAN, are working hard to elevate the status of prevention and to support the development of a bipartisan health care reform plan that would achieve the Society's "4 A's" for meaningful health insurance – adequacy, affordability, availability (including people with pre-existing conditions), and administrative simplicity.  You CAN FIGHT BACK to help ensure no one has to decide between getting the treatment they need and their financial stability.

Three things you CAN do right now:
Share your story.
Take action by asking your lawmakers to put money in the budget to fund health care reform.
Sign a petition to the President urging him to make health care reform a top priority. 

Winning the fight against cancer depends on improving access to quality health care.  You can help make sure any health care reform package meets the needs of cancer patients across the country.  If you are not already a member of ACS CAN, join today to help make cancer history.

 

 

As I approached the microphone at the National Leadership Summit in Dallas a year ago, there was little question that my Fight Back pledge needed to begin with my own personal fitness. I was far removed from the kid who played five sports in high school and never missed a rec league basketball game for the first few years after college. Truth be told, my friends from those days would hardly recognize the overweight, out-of-shape person I had become. And now in my 50s, the cancer risks loomed large and threatening.

 So my Fight Back pledge was to get physically fit, adopt wiser eating habits, and follow a healthier lifestyle. Beginning in December, I started working with a personal trainer three to four times a week who guided my fitness regimen as well as my food choices. Results were fast and encouraging -- I actually lost eight pounds during the holiday season…for me, truly an unheard of "man-bites-dog" turn of events!

I've now lost 30 pounds and countless inches, my heart rate has returned to an acceptable range, and my cholesterol level has improved. In short, at 53 years old, I've not been this healthy since I was in my 20s. In fact, my daughter was so excited about my results that she made her own fitness pledge, and for her 23rd birthday in April, I gave her six weeks with the personal trainer. Now she is making the most of her Fight Back pledge and developing her own healthy habits for life.

 

Thanks to you, the Society opened three new Hope Lodge locations and expanded two others this year, bringing the total to 28 nationwide. Hope Lodge facilities provide free lodging to people who must travel far from home to receive the best treatment. Each Hope Lodge gives hope a home for people facing cancer and their families. One of the new locations, the New York City Hope Lodge, was made possible thanks to the largest-ever individual contribution to the Society, from the Jerome L. Greene Foundation. Campaigns for an additional 16 Hope Lodge locations are under way. The Society continues to expand and improve this program, meeting a vital need during cancer treatment. You can fight back by supporting a Hope Lodge in your area.

 

The election is over and now the new President and Congress are about to be sworn into office. This is the perfect time to fight back through advocacy by emailing your newly elected officials to urge them to make cancer a top national priority. Also find the time to celebrate successes we have had in the fight against cancer. Visit acscan.org to learn about the advances ACS CAN made this year with your help.

 

 

 Last Thursday was the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout, where smokers from across the country are invited to quit for the day...and perhaps it will be their frst step tward a smoke-free life.  But Thursday isn't the only day to quit.

 

 

Relay For Life participants have been instrumental in helping the American Cancer Society make progress against cancer and save lives. A recent report from the nation’s leading cancer organizations shows that, for the first time since the report was first issued in 1998, both incidence and death rates for all cancers combined are decreasing for both men and women.

"The drop in incidence seen in this year's Annual Report is something we've been waiting to see for a long time," said Otis W. Brawley, MD, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society (ACS). "However, we have to be somewhat cautious about how we interpret it, because changes in incidence can be caused not only by reductions in risk factors for cancer, but also by changes in screening practices. Regardless, the continuing drop in mortality is evidence once again of real progress made against cancer, reflecting real gains in prevention, early detection, and treatment."

Read more…

Tens of millions today are uninsured and our goal as The American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is to ensure every American has access to cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment services when and where they need them so that no one must put their health at risk because they cannot afford the care they need.

With a new president and a new Congress set to take office in January, the momentum for health care reform is growing. Several influential members of Congress have been formulating health care reform plans that they will introduce as legislation, and President Obama’s transition team has been directly soliciting the public for feedback on fixing the health care system.

As the health care debate gains speed this year, the Society and ACS CAN will be working to elevate the status of prevention and to support bipartisan legislation in Congress that would achieve comprehensive health care reform that satisfies the Society’s “4 A’s” for meaningful health insurance – adequacy, affordability, availability, and administrative simplicity.  ACS CAN’s aim is to be a “visible leader” on the issue by engaging in bipartisan, multi-stakeholder efforts to promote reform and leveraging its hard-earned “seat at the table” to ensure that the interests of cancer patients, survivors, and their families are thoroughly addressed.

We ask you to join us in our effort to reform our healthcare system so we can save more lives.

We have the best opportunity in decades to repair a health care system that has left more than 46 million people in America uninsured and 25 million more underinsured. By utilizing the unique strengths of Relay For Life and ACS CAN, and by examining the health care system through the “cancer lens,” we can make a profound contribution to the effort to improve access to quality health care for all Americans. Success in this area is vital to our ability to achieve our goals – goals that can help save lives.

To find out how you can get involved and make a difference in this effort and other campaigns to help the cancer rates continue to decline, click here.
 

Marie Spangler

When long-time Relay For Life volunteer Marie Spangler attended the nationwide Relay For Life Volunteer Leadership Summit in August, 2008 she was encouraged by her staff partner to consider joining the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN.)

“I told her it was silly for me to join because I had never even voted. I wasn’t even registered!” said Marie.

Marie made it her Fight Back pledge to register to vote and participate in the 2008 Presidential election.

When she got back home, her employees heard about her pledge and brought Marie a voter registration to fill out. Not only did Marie register and vote, she also joined ACS CAN.

Marie has quickly become a passionate advocate for the American Cancer Society. In fact, she was recently asked to serve as the advocacy chair for the Relay For Life of Jefferson County in Pennsylvania.

“I always thought it was my right not to vote, but now I know how great it is and I’m glad I did it!” she said.

 

 

Ron Diehl

Standing in front of a large crowd and making a commitment to fight back against cancer by having a colonoscopy is pushing the envelope for some men, but Ron Diehl made that commitment in early 2007 at an American Cancer Society Relay For Life event. As time passed, Ron’s Relay For Life team captain and his wife began to scold Ron for not scheduling the procedure, reminding him of his pledge.

“At the 2008 Relay For Life of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, almost everyone reminded me that I still needed to get it done. Well, I finally did have the procedure in August 2008,” recalls Ron.

Since Ron’s wife had to work, his church secretary kindly agreed to accompany him to the hospital and sat by his side while he waited and once he was in the recovery room.

“The anesthesiologist asked why I waited so long to get my first colonoscopy, since you should start getting them at age 50. I didn’t want to tell him I was dreading the preparation! Now that I’ve been through the preparation and procedure, I can honestly say all I had to fear was fear of the unknown. It really isn’t that bad,” said Ron.
 
Ron’s doctor did find and remove two polyps during his procedure. Ron is happy to report that he received good news from the lab two weeks after his colonoscopy and that he’ll be sure to keep up with regular screenings.