ACS CAN 2021 New York State Legislative Priorities

Victory in the fight against cancer requires bold new public policies that promote cancer prevention, early detection of cancer, and expand access to quality, affordable health care. Lawmakers make many decisions that impact the lives of New Yorkers touched by cancer and their leadership is vital to defeating this disease. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) will work with the lawmakers in support of the following priorities:

2021 New York State Legislative Priorities

Download the New York State 2021 Legislative Priorities PDF

Approximately 117,000 New Yorkers will be diagnosed with cancer this year.  Victory in the fight against cancer requires bold new public policies that promote cancer prevention, early detection of cancer, and expand access to quality, affordable health care. In 2021, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) will work with state policy makers in support of the following priorities:

Reducing the Toll of Tobacco

• Tobacco Taxes: Increase the cigarette tax by at least $1.00 per pack with an increase in the tax on other tobacco products to parallel the new rate.  Revenues from tobacco taxes should be used to sustain evidence-based, statewide tobacco use prevention and cessation programs.
• Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Funding:  Fund and sustain evidence-based, statewide tobacco use prevention and cessation programs at $39.8 million.
• Flavored Tobacco:  Ending the sale of menthol cigarettes and ALL other flavored tobacco products.
• Access to Tobacco Cessation: Ensure counseling services provided by the NYS Quitline to Medicaid enrollees are reimbursed by Medicaid.  Ensure commercial plans provide a comprehensive cessation benefit that covers individual, group, and telephone counseling and all FDA-approved tobacco cessation medications without cost-sharing or other barriers to accessing care.

Cancer Prevention and Early Detection

• Cancer Services Program:  Sustain funding of $19.8 million for evidence-based Cancer Services to provide screening, patient navigation and education.  

Quality of Life

• Protecting Access to Pain Medication for Cancer Patients: ACS CAN will monitor legislative proposals regarding the prescribing of opioid pain medications and advocate for a balanced approach that promotes safe prescribing and dispensing of pain management medication that does not interfere with access to these medicines for the cancer patients and survivors who need them.

Ensuring Access to Quality Care

• Reduce Barriers to Clinical Trials: ACS CAN supports legislation to ensure Medicaid covers routine care costs for eligible Medicaid enrollees to participate in cancer clinical trials. Only a small fraction of eligible patients ultimately enroll in cancer clinical trials because of barriers that make participation difficult or even impossible.
• Network Adequacy: ACS CAN will support legislation regarding health insurance network adequacy to help ensure that cancer patients and survivors have access to appropriate medical specialists.
• Medication Access: ACS CAN will advocate to ensure our step therapy requirements for prescription drugs are clear, efficient and patient-friendly while also allowing for exceptions when appropriate.  ACS CAN will support legislation to prohibit mid-year changes to prescription drug coverage or out-of-pocket costs during the plan year as well as legislation to stop the use of copay accumulator programs which prevent patients from using copay cards or coupons to cover their out-of-pocket expenses.
• Medicaid Coverage: ACS CAN will advocate for low-income individuals and families to continue to have access to health care coverage through the state Medicaid program.

For more information, contact:

Julie Hart, Sr Director, Government Relations, ACS CAN  

Julie.hart@cancer.org /518.505.7833  

ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard.