American Cancer Society and The Good Fight

Props to the American Cancer Society (ACS) for promising to devote its entire $15 million advertising budget to the consequences of inadequate health insurance. Having adequate health insurance positively influences cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, and survival. Even more significant, health insurance is a cross-cutting issue and has relevance for multiple health conditions. It’s very inspiring that the ACS, a single disease focused organization, would tackle an issue like this. Perhaps the ACS’s newly formed collaborations with diabetes and heart associations are further evidence of a larger trend away from the NIH-driven disease-specific focus in research and prevention.

Either way, I have to admit to some curiosity about the politics and timing behind this move.

Their earlier campaigns for healthier eating and colorectal cancer screening are of questionable efficacy in terms of changing individual health behaviors; let’s see what kind of impact they have on changing political will and the face of policy.