The U.S. Senate has delayed a vote on the poorly named Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) that would do great harm to millions of patients with cancer. In the weeks ahead, we must redouble our efforts to fight any proposals from the Senate that could price people out of affordable, adequate and accessible health coverage. Those who would repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) now know just how difficult it is to replace it with something as good or better. The ACA is a good start. Congress should focus on working to improve it, not throw it away to the detriment of millions who will lose health insurance and those who will die as a result.

I’m a stage 3 colon cancer survivor and a volunteer with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. Thanks to the insurance policy I bought through the Connect for Health Colorado exchange, I now have coverage I can afford that provides adequate care by doctors who have been involved in my cancer treatments from the start. At the time of my diagnosis in 2004, I was only able to afford a catastrophic policy and had to pay out of pocket for all prescription drugs and a high deductible for my treatments.

The BCRA allows states to waive the Essential Health Benefits that ensure people with serious illness get the services they need. In states that choose these waivers, insurers could decide not to cover expensive cancer therapies. Plans that offer adequate coverage for cancer patients and survivors are likely to be incredibly expensive under this new proposal.

Once services are no longer considered essential health benefits in waiver states, insurers will once again be allowed to set annual or lifetime caps on coverage. Patients who have treatments that exceed those caps would be forced to choose between saving their life, or their life savings. This could even be true for those with insurance through their employer.

The bill lowers premium tax credits, eliminates the cost-sharing subsidies and allows plans to charge older people more for their health insurance. These policy changes could price many low- and middle-income Americans out of the market.

Significant Medicaid cuts could leave millions of the most vulnerable Americans without critical preventive and curative health care.

More than 2 million cancer patients and survivors depend on Medicaid for their care. This includes the one-third of childhood cancer patients who are on Medicaid at the point of their diagnosis.

It’s true that current law needs improvements, but the ideas under consideration are flawed and could result in millions of people losing access to health coverage over the next decade. Patients deserve a transparent, bipartisan effort to stabilize the insurance market, bring down premiums and retain the patient protections that are so critical to cancer patients. I urge the Senate to return to the drawing board and work together to find ways to improve our health care system and protect cancer patients.