Is access to care really an appropriate issue for the American Cancer Society to address?
The American Cancer Society has been working to help people gain access to quality health care through a number of initiatives for many years, including: • Offering assistance to patients struggling with insurance issues through our Health Insurance Assistance Service • Advocating for programs like the CDCs National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Programs that offers free mammograms and follow up care to low income, underinsured and uninsured women. • Advocating against legislation that threatens insurance coverage requirements • Placing trained patient navigators in hospitals to help patients navigate the health care system • Building Hope Lodges near major cancer centers to offer patients and their families a place to stay free of charge when their treatment is far from home. But these programs are not enough to ensure equal access to quality healthcare for all Americans. Given recent evidence and lives at stake, the American Cancer Society made the decision to focus grea
