2017 State Legislative Priorities

2017 Legislative Priorities

Defeating cancer is as much a matter of public policy as scientific discovery.  Lawmakers play a critical role in determining how much progress we make in the fight against cancer.  ACS CAN supports proven legislative measures that help save lives in support of our mission to end cancer as a major public health problem.

ACS CAN Recommends Evidence-Based Tobacco Control Strategies

• ˜Protect our children from the dangers of tobacco by securing $20 million recurring funding for statewide tobacco use prevention and tobacco cessation programs.
• Support an increase in the cigarette tax by at least $1.00 per pack, along with an equivalent increase on other tobacco (non-cigarette) products, in order to prevent children from starting and help those who want to quit.
• ˜Protect children, nonsmokers, and workers from the deadly effects of secondhand smoke by preserving and expanding our smoke-free and tobacco-free laws.

ACS CAN Supports Access to Meaningful, Affordable Health Care Coverage

• ˜Ensure cancer patients have access to crucial lifesaving chemotherapy medications by restricting insurance companies from charging higher out-of-pocket costs for oral chemotherapy than they do for chemotherapy administered through an IV.
• ˜Increase the number of people in North Carolina with affordable access to quality healthcare.  Close the coverage gap in North Carolina to assure access to healthcare for adults earning up to 138% federal poverty level.
• Preserve $1.5 million recurring state funding for the North Carolina Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program, which provides preventive cancer screenings for women who are uninsured or underinsured.

ACS CAN Supports Evidence Based Healthy Living and Active Living Public Policies

• ˜Support legislation for public funding for programs that provide access to affordable, healthy foods (including fruits, vegetables, fiber-rich whole grains, and lean meats/seafood) in urban neighborhoods and rural communities.
• ˜Advocate for increased and improved physical education and increased physical activity by ensuring that measures of quality physical education are included in the State’s accountability plan and that measures of quality physical education and physical activity are included in the State’s Report Card.