Learn. Speak. Act
International recording artist and poet, Michael "MIKE-E" Ellison

Access to Care 101
Learn more about the access to health care issue, why it matters, and what the Society is doing about the problem.

Access to Care 201
This video illustrates the importance of providing access to health care for the uninsured and undersinsured and what the American Cancer Society is doing to help. It addresses some of the questions that have arisen since the organization's campaign began in September 2007.

Across the States

Where you live matters when it comes to health care. A June 2007 study by the Commonwealth Fund graded the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on five dimensions of health care system performance: access, quality, potentially avoidable use of hospitals and costs of care, equity, and the ability to live long and healthy lives.

The top-performing five states are Hawaii, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. The lowest-performing states are Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, Arkansas, and Texas, with Mississippi and Oklahoma tying for last place.
The rate of premature death in Minnesota, Utah, Vermont, Wyoming, and Alaska is half of that of the lowest-performing states—South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
Over the past five years, the number of states with more than 16 percent of children uninsured declined from 10 to three. However, the number of states with 23 percent or more of adults uninsured increased from four to 12.
In all but six states, the percent of adults uninsured increased.
Across states, three of four uninsured adults age 50 or older did not receive basic preventive care, including cancer screening. The percentage of adults who reported going without care because of costs is up to five times greater in states with high rates of uninsured adults than in states with the lowest uninsured rates.

[Source: The Commonwealth Fund, Aiming Higher, Results from a State Scorecard on Health System Performance, June 2007]