BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — When it comes to cancer, advocates say it affects all of us. And even if you haven't personally been diagnosed with cancer, chances are you know someone who has. "Like so many people, I've had people die in my family of cancer," said Ben Hanson, the government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. "Both of my grandfathers and unfortunately, my younger brother passed away last year at age 29 to a cancerous brain tumor. So this is something that's run in my family. I've seen it in so many close friends. Everyone kind of knows somebody who's been impacted by cancer." "Cancer touches so many people," said volunteer Kelly Buettner-Schmidt, "that if it has not touched an individual yet, I just think that they are very, very lucky. Between our family and our friends, many, many people are touched by cancer." The American Cancer Society says your chance of getting breast cancer is one in eight, making it the most common cancer for women in America. And here in North Dakota, state Health and Human Services has found that 500 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. But research shows that while getting a diagnosis is one thing, affording treatment is another. "For family members and for friends, you know, it really is just a concern," said Buettner-Schmidt, "the financial concern, you already have a health scare or a health worry, and then, how is this going to fit into your budgets? Just really adds to the overall stress of the entire situation." Right now, breast cancer patients are facing a number of hurdles when it comes to accessing certain cancer treatments. Health officials say that while mammograms are covered as preventative care under the Affordable Care Act, MRIs and diagnostic imaging tests are not. "So while they may say that they're covered," said Hanson, "they don't have cost-share savings. So the woman winds up paying thousands of dollars sometimes for an additional test just to detect if she does have breast cancer depending on her body type. We want to make sure that everyone has the same access to early screening for breast cancer." Raising awareness of cervical cancer with screenings in January Prescription drugs are another issue, and health officials say that there have been loopholes that haven't allowed women to reach their deductibles when paying for medication, potentially forcing them to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars. "Prescription drugs have an enormous cost," said Hanson. "They're only going up. And we want to make sure there aren't loopholes in their plans that don't allow them to reach their deductible." That's why breast cancer advocates with The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network are at the capitol today to lobby for two bills that they hope will help bridge the gap between patients and access to care. The first bill, House Bill 1216, looks to create drug copay accumulator adjustments, so drug copays will count toward the overall out-of-pocket deductibles. The second is a breast cancer early screening cost-share bill that will make sure additional screening is covered by insurance. "Unfortunately, we know that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime," said Hanson. "But what we can do here at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and what everyone else can do volunteering and helping us out is let people know to get screened early, to have access to the best care, and make sure that their care is affordable." And advocates say there is hope. "There's a lot of good news," said Hanson, "around technological innovation, around where we're going with precision medicine right now, but in order to get that out there, we need to educate the public on it, and they need to be able to have access to it and that's usually through coverage. So that's what the Cancer Action Network is advocating for." Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Today's Top Stories SIGN UP NOW