The House is set to vote this afternoon on the Improving Access to Clinical Trials Act of 2010 (S. 1674) introduced by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR).

The bill provides that the first $2,000 per year received by an individual for participation in a clinical trial shall not be counted as income for the purpose of calculating Social Security benefits.  This provision was included in the House-passed health care reform bill last November, but was not included in the final bill the President signed into law in March.

The Senate already passed this bill on August 5.  House passage later today will clear the bill for review and signature by the President.

Health reform is back in the news this week.  Why?  Today marks the six-month anniversary of the President signing this landmark legislation into law and several of the most-talked about and popular provisions of the law take effect today.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Jay Angoff, Director of the Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight

Jay Angoff (image courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services)

If you or a loved one has lived with cancer – you probably know more about the American health insurance system than you ever wanted. While most Americans have health insurance, few really know much about how their insurance works until the worst possible moment, when they are sick and need potentially life-saving care.

During the health reform debate, President Obama talked about the devastation of watching his mother battle both ovarian cancer and her insurance company. Unfortunately, such stories are all too common.

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, fewer cancer patients are going to have to fight that two-front war. And many of the new patient rights and protections that will help cancer patients are beginning to take effect NOW, starting September 23rd. Read the rest of this entry »

This afternoon, First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius spoke at George Washington University Hospital to announce the release of new guidelines that will provide free preventive health care services under the Affordable Care Act.

The new guidelines will mean that insurance plan can no longer charge copayments or other fees for a number of preventive services including colorectal cancer screenings.  The regulation does not take effect until Sept. 23, and it only applies to plans that are new after that, meaning that people who stay on their existing plan won’t benefit from the change. Read the rest of this entry »

We took a look at the Affordable Care Act through a cancer lens in order to better understand how the law will affect the colorectal cancer community.  Whether you favored or opposed enactment of the Affordable Care Act, a full understanding of the new law is essential as it will change many areas of health care.  We put together a webinar that will give you an overview of what is happening when and how it will impact you.  It gives an overview of upcoming implementation deadlines as well as opportunities for patients and advocates to get involved in the implementation process.

If you were not able to join us for the live webinar, you can access a video of the webinar or download the slides from the presentation.

Still have questions about the Affordable Care Act, and how it changes access to colorectal cancer screening and impacts the cost of cancer care?  Email us at Advocacy@FightCRC.org.