Connecticut Action Center

What is quality health care?

At the American Cancer Society we define quality health care by the 4 A's:

Affordable: Provides the ability to purchase meaningful private health insurance based on his or her ability to pay. Premium pricing should not be based on an individual’s actual or perceived health status or history of health care services utilization. Annual total out-of-pocket costs (including co-pays and deductibles) must be reasonable.

Available: Is renewable, portable and continuous. It must not be based on, or constrained by, actual or perceived health status or history of health care services use.

Administratively Simple: Requires transparency and simplicity in private health insurance products, both pre and post enrollment. Covered benefits, financial liability, and terms for making claims must be clear. Consumers must be able to compare and contrast different health insurance plans and easily navigate health insurance transactions and transitions.

Adequate: Ensures timely access to the full range of evidence-based health are services (i.e., rational, science-based, patient-centered) – including prevention and primary care – necessary to maintain health, avoid disease, overcome acute illness, and live with chronic illness. These services include the complete continuum of evidence-based cancer care for treatment and support needs including clinical trials. Coverage should

So what can I do to help?

In Connecticut, there are many ways to get involved!

Take the survey: Please visit our survey about Access to Care in Connecticut. The answers to this survey give great insight to lawmakers about how the citizens of CT are faring with rising insurance costs. It is completely and 100% anonymous and takes about 5 minutes.

www.surveymonkey.com/ACS_A2C

Tell us your story: Contact Bryte Johnsonin the Government Relations department to talk about your experience with healthcare, and how it has changed over time. E-mail: bryte.johnson@cancer.org or call: 203-379-4850. Your story, like you is unique and helps us learn about what the citizens of Connecticut are facing in these challenging economic times, and can be the catalyst in our strategy to access to care.

Contact your legislator: Please visit the Connecticut General Assembly website today, to learn who your representative is in Hartford. Contact them by phone, e-mail or fax and tell them to vote for the American Cancer Society Supported Bills.

www.cga.ct.gov

(Bills numbers will be available for your reference soon)