New Jersey Lawmakers Have Opportunities to Save Lives and Money by Improving Access to Affordable Health Coverage and Implementing Effective Tobacco Control and Quality of Life Measures

TRENTON, NJ  – August 1, 2019 – New Jersey must do better when it comes to implementing policies and passing legislation to prevent and reduce suffering and death from cancer. According to the latest edition of How Do You Measure Up?: A Progress Report on State Legislative Activity to Reduce Cancer Incidence and Mortality, New Jersey measured up to policy recommendations in just three of the eight evaluated issue areas. The report was released today by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN).

The 17^th edition of the report highlights the important progress we’ve made in passing proven policies but we must do more to reduce suffering and death from cancer. We have the power to make a difference for New Jerseyans by implementing proven cancer-fighting policies.

“This year alone in New Jersey, more than 53,000 people will be diagnosed with cancer,” said ACS CAN New Jersey Government Relations Director Samantha DeAlmeida. “We owe it to them—and to everyone at risk of developing this disease—to do everything in our power to prevent cancer and improve access to screenings and treatment. This report provides lawmakers a legislative path forward to improve cancer prevention efforts, curb tobacco use, prioritize the quality of life for patients and their families and increase access to critical health coverage.”

How Do You Measure Up? rates states in eight specific areas of public policy that can help fight cancer: increased access to care through Medicaid, access to palliative care, balanced pain control policies, cigarette tax levels, smoke-free laws, funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs, cessation coverage under Medicaid and restricting indoor tanning devices for people under 18.

This year’s report includes a special section examining efforts to stem youth tobacco product use by raising the legal age of sale for tobacco to 21. E-cigarettes have driven a dramatic 36% rise in youth tobacco product use over the last year—and in statehouses across the country, policymakers have prioritized efforts to keep tobacco products out of the hands of our kids, introducing 88 bills that raised the age of sale for tobacco products.  But state lawmakers’ good-faith efforts have been co-opted by the tobacco industry, who want to use these laws to advance policies that will interfere with effective tobacco control and protect their profits. In fact, 51 out of the 88 age of sale bills introduced in 2019 included provisions that advance tobacco industry interests. The special section draws attention to Big Tobacco’s dangerous agenda—including preempting local governments’ ability to pass strong tobacco control laws—and outlines the principles that make tobacco 21 policies effective.

As New Jersey lawmakers work to protect our communities from tobacco’s deadly toll, they must reject any attempts to weaken or undermine effective tobacco control legislation and implement comprehensive policies that will prevent our kids from developing a lifelong addiction to tobacco.

More than 26 percent of cancer deaths in New Jersey are due to smoking. 12 percent of high school students in New Jersey used e-cigarettes in 2018 according to a report last year by the nonprofit Tobacco Free Kids. 143,000 New Jerseyans now younger than 18 will die prematurely from smoking. We need to do everything we can to save these lives and strongly deter youth from beginning this deadly habit. ACS CAN is proud to be a resource on the creation and implementation of policy that is health outcome based, rather than revenue motivated and sympathetic to an industry that preys on youth and young adults by marketing, manufacturing and distributing products that have proven negative health outcomes for users.

Passing and implementing the policy recommendations in the report would not only save lives in New Jersey, but also save millions in long-term health care costs and in some cases would even generate additional, much-needed revenue.

A color-coded system classifies how well a state is doing in each issue. Green shows that a state has adopted evidence-based policies and best practices; yellow indicates moderate movement toward the benchmark and red shows where states are falling short.

How New Jersey Measures Up:

Increased Access to Medicaid                                                              Green

Access to Palliative Care                                                          Red

Pain Policy                                                                                                Yellow

Cigarette Tax Rates                                                                                 Green

Smoke-free Laws                                                                                     Green

Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program Funding                      Red

Medicaid Coverage of Tobacco Cessation Services                          Red

Indoor Tanning                                                                                        Red

This year, the legislature has unanimously passed legislation that requires certain healthcare facilities to provide information concerning palliative care and hospice care services. The legislation, A-312, is on Governor Murphy’s desk awaiting action. Should the Governor sign this legislation into law, it would bring New Jersey from a red rating to green on the Access to Palliative Care benchmark.

“By passing laws that prevent cancer and help patients get the care they need, our lawmakers can save lives and money in New Jersey,” said DeAlmeida. “We stand ready to work with our leaders to build a healthier and brighter future for New Jerseyans and eliminate death and suffering from cancer.”

Nationally, the report finds that increased access to health coverage through Medicaid is the most met benchmark, with 35 states, in addition to the District of Columbia, having broadened Medicaid eligibility to cover individuals earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level ($17,236 a year for an individual and $35,535 for a family of four). Smoke-free legislation is the second-most met benchmark with 27 states, in addition to the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands, considered “doing well.”

To view the complete report and details on New Jersey’s ratings, visit www.fightcancer.org/

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is making cancer a top priority for public officials and candidates at the federal, state and local levels. ACS CAN empowers advocates across the country to make their voices heard and influence evidence-based public policy change as well as legislative and regulatory solutions that will reduce the cancer burden. As the American Cancer Society’s nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN is critical to the fight for a world without cancer. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.

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