The Case Will Impact the Health of Hundreds of Thousands of Families and Patients With Chronic Illnesses

Jefferson City, MO — Health and patient advocacy groups submitted an amicus curiae (or friend-of-the-court) brief today, supported by Missouri-based health economists and law professors, in the Missouri Supreme Court, noting the vital role that the implementation of expanded eligibility for Medicaid would have in the lives of hundreds of thousands of Missourians.

A group of 22 organizations submitted a brief to share with the Court how Medicaid expansion provides lifesaving health insurance coverage and why the Court must uphold this voter-approved amendment to Missouri’s constitution.

The brief shows how extending eligibility to Medicaid increases access to and use of vital health care services significantly reduces health disparities, improves survivorship for cancer and other chronic diseases, and positively affects the state economy.

A statement from the groups follows:

“Having access to health insurance is a matter of life or death for countless patients with chronic illnesses. Well-documented research has shown Medicaid expansion leads to better survival rates for chronic diseases, increased cancer screening rates and improved access to treatment. Uninsured patients are less likely than those with insurance to be screened for cancer and more likely to be diagnosed with later-stage disease, which is harder to survive and costlier to treat.

“Expanding Medicaid also makes financial sense. Under the recently passed American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Missouri will receive more than $1 billion in federal dollars in addition to the 90% matching rate for the expansion population if the state follows through on such lifesaving action supported by a majority of voters.

“Because of the overwhelming risks to patients with chronic illnesses and the proven consequences to Missouri families of failing to move forward with expanding this lifesaving program, the groups urge the court to honor the will of the voters and move forward with expanding eligibility for the state Medicaid program.”

Read the full brief. 

Groups included on this statement include the National Health Law Program, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Diabetes Association, CancerCare, Cancer Support Community, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Epilepsy Foundation, Gateway Hemophilia Association, Gilda’s Club Kansas City, Hemophilia Federation of America, March of Dimes, Midwest Hemophilia Association, NAMI Missouri, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, National Hemophilia Foundation, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, National Organization for Rare Disorders, National Patient Advocate Foundation, The AIDS Institute, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and Prostate Network.

About the Cancer Support Community

As the largest professionally led nonprofit network of cancer support worldwide, the Cancer Support Community (CSC), including its Gilda’s Club affiliates, is dedicated to ensuring that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action, and sustained by community. CSC achieves its mission through three areas: direct service delivery, research, and advocacy. The organization includes an international network of Affiliates that offer the highest quality social and emotional support for people impacted by cancer, as well as a community of support available online and over the phone. The Research and Training Institute conducts cutting-edge psychosocial, behavioral, and survivorship research. CSC furthers its focus on patient advocacy through its Cancer Policy Institute, informing public policy in Washington, D.C. and across the nation. For more information, please call the toll-free Cancer Support Helpline at CSC-867-5309, or visit www.CancerSupportCommunity.org. So that no one faces cancer alone®

Your Cancer Road Map features a foreword by First Lady Jill Biden

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As heard on NBC News Radio and reported by multiple health outlets, Cancer Support Community’s (CSC) Your Cancer Road Map: Navigating Life with Resilience, by Executive Chair Kim Thiboldeaux, is now available on store shelves. The book, which is also available on all major online platforms, encapsulates CSC’s almost 40 years of experience serving people facing cancer and Thiboldeaux’s 20 years of advising individuals impacted by cancer.

Your Cancer Road Map also features a foreword by Dr. Biden, personal essays by journalist Joan Lunden and ESPN’s Holly Rowe, and endorsements from health, business, and entertainment leaders. Designed as a powerful companion for anyone with questions about cancer, the book includes workbook pages, checklists, recommended resources, and more.

“My hope is that this book will help people feel more confident as they face a myriad of decisions when experiencing a cancer diagnosis,” Thiboldeaux said. “Whether it is around getting the right genetic and genomic testing, understanding insurance, understanding finances, talking to kids about cancer, I want this book to help people know that they don't have to face cancer alone.”

Dr. Lidia Schapira, Director of the Cancer Survivorship Program at the Stanford Comprehensive Cancer Institute, hails Your Cancer Road Map as “[the] guide that every cancer patient needs to relieve the stress of diagnosis and provide guidance and companionship throughout the cancer journey.”

Proceeds from the sales of Your Cancer Road Map will support CSC, which provides $50 million in free support and navigation services each year to patients, caregivers, and others affected by cancer. The organization’s website highlights the evidenced-based care models that informed the book and provides instant access to the organization’s free resources.

As a nonprofit executive, thought leader, and author, Thiboldeaux continues to make her mark on the global stage by ensuring that the patient’s voice is at the center of every conversation about cancer. Her service includes appointments to the nation’s premier panels on cancer. For example, in 2019, Dr. Francis S. Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, appointed Thiboldeaux to the Novel and Exceptional Technology and Research Advisory Committee. In 2017, then-Vice President Joe Biden appointed her to serve on the Biden Cancer Initiative’s Board of Directors. Recently, Stand Up To Cancer appointed Thiboldeaux to its Health Equity Breakthrough Research Team. In 2019, the International Psycho-Oncology Society presented her with its President’s Community Award for Distinguished Contributions.

View more information about the book. 

About the Cancer Support Community

As the largest professionally led nonprofit network of cancer support worldwide, the Cancer Support Community (CSC), including its Gilda’s Club affiliates, is dedicated to ensuring that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action, and sustained by community. CSC achieves its mission through three areas: direct service delivery, research, and advocacy. The organization includes an international network of Affiliates that offer the highest quality social and emotional support for people impacted by cancer, as well as a community of support available online and over the phone. The Research and Training Institute conducts cutting-edge psychosocial, behavioral, and survivorship research. CSC furthers its focus on patient advocacy through its Cancer Policy Institute, informing public policy in Washington, D.C. and across the nation. For more information, please call the toll-free Cancer Support Helpline at CSC-867-5309, or visit www.CancerSupportCommunity.org. So that no one faces cancer alone®