(NAPS)—If you have been diagnosed with cancer, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provides new protections and access to health care services to help ensure that you receive high-quality cancer care. Insurance plans, for example, may no longer deny coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions. The new law also eliminates cost sharing (or co-pays) for important preventive services, such as mammograms, colorectal cancer screening tests, and tobacco cessation interventions.
On the other hand, concerns are growing that certain health care exchanges no longer include certain cancer centers or oncologists in their provider networks—forcing some individuals with cancer to find other doctors with whom they are not familiar or who may not be located in their own communities.
The Affordable Care Act also includes provisions to cover individuals with low incomes through the expansion of the Medicaid program—but this coverage varies from state to state, and some states have elected not to expand their Medicaid programs.
To help patients and physicians navigate the new law, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world’s leading professional organization representing physicians who care for people with cancer, has created the “ACA Resource Center,” a collection of online resources about the law and its impact on patients with cancer and patient insurance coverage.
“ASCO is committed to providing physicians and their patients with information and tools they need to adapt to health care changes resulting from the Affordable Care Act,” said ASCO President Peter Paul Yu, M.D., FACP, FASCO. “We hope that these resources will answer many of the questions they have regarding the law and its implementation.”
ASCO’s ACA Resource Center can be found at www.asco.org/aca. Additional ACA resources for patients can be found at www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/financial-considerations/cancer-and-affordable-care-act.
For more information, please visit www.asco.org/aca.
