2010 DE Legislative Priorities
Increasing Access to Health Care
The American Cancer society believes that all persons ought to have access to comprehensive, affordable and quality health care. The Society will advocate on the state level for expanding access to health care for all individuals. This includes monitoring state Medicaid policies, supporting legislation calling for the creation of insurance purchasing pools, and maintaining funding for the DE Cancer Treatment Program and other free screening programs available to low income uninsured Delawareans.
***Ensure DE Cancer Treatment Program stays intact
***Maintain Medicaid funding for breast and cervical cancer screening
Assuring Access to Medications and Nicotine Replacement Therapy
A priority of the Society is to ensure tobacco cessation counseling and products are available for Medicaid patients.
***Advocate for Medicaid to provide free tobacco cessation aids to all eligible adults.
Assuring Access to Cancer Screening and Treatment
The American Cancer Society believes that state laws requiring insurance carriers to cover the cost of routine cancer screenings and treatment are needed to protect health care quality. The Society will advocate protecting vital insurance mandates that assure access to life-saving cancer screening and treatment
***Maintain existing insurance mandates for cancer screenings.
Protecting Funding for Tobacco Use Reduction and Cancer Control Programs
The American Cancer Society believes that funding from the tobacco master settlement should be used to mitigate the illnesses caused by the use of tobacco products. The Society will advocate for funding tobacco control programs at the CDC recommended level and for increasing funding for cancer prevention and control through the use of MSA monies.
***Protect the DE Health Fund monies
Assuring Balanced Pain Policy
A priority of the American Cancer Society is to ensure adequate pain and symptom control -- essential elements to improve the quality of life for cancer patients. The Society will monitor activity and provide policy guidance around the implementation of a prescription monitoring program for DE.
*** Monitor Tamper Proof Prescription development
*** Advocate for implementation of Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP)
*** Develop DE Pain Initiative
*** Advocate for removing the restriction (7 days) on the length a prescription for controlled substances is valid.
Tobacco Taxes Knowing that a high price for tobacco products will deter our youth from becoming tobacco users and may encourage adult users to quit we will work for increasing the tax on smokeless tobacco and other types of tobacco products other than cigarettes.
***Advocate for tobacco tax equity
Promotion of Physical Activity and Nutrition
Knowing that obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., the Society will advocate for 150 minutes of mandatory physical activity per week in all Delaware schools and we will advocate for the passage of state menu labeling legislation.
*** Support menu labeling Senate Bill SB 81
Delaware Updates
Unless specifically noted otherwise, the Society, and not ACS CAN, is conducting the activities described on this page.
