Passage of Medicaid Treatment Amendment Critical

American Cancer Society
Tuesday, 23 March 1999

Washington 1999/03/23 -The American Cancer Society announced today that it fully supports passage of a Medicaid treatment option for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, or NBCCEDP. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to allow for Medicaid-paid health care services for women diagnosed through the NBCCEDP has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. John Chafee (R-RI) and Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Rick Lazio (R-NY) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA). The NBCCEDP currently funds cancer detection, outreach, education and follow-up services for medically underserved populations.

A number of women found to have breast or cervical cancer through this program don't seek or have difficulty obtaining treatment. The bill introduced today allows states to make Medicaid funds available to pay for treatment of cancers found through NBCCEDP. Treatment is not a federally-funded component of NBCCEDP, as it is designed and funded as a detection and outreach program. However, state health departments working through NBCCEDP are required to have a framework of treatment options in place before receiving NBCCEDP funds.

"This legislation is a vital step forward," said Sally West Brooks, RN, MA, American Cancer Society National Board of Director's Secretary. "If this new option is added to the Medicaid program, more women would be able to access treatment and help stop the scourge of two devastating cancers. By providing a solid one-stop-shopping treatment option through the Medicaid program, women served by NBCCEDP will be assured of more immediate diagnostic treatment services, rather than the patchwork of services case managers currently have at their disposal."

In addition, the American Cancer Society is also seeking increased funding for the NBCCEDP for the upcoming fiscal year. Funding for fiscal year 1999 is at $159 million, with proposals for next year providing no increase at all. ACS would like $215 million for the NBCCEDP for FY 00.

"NBCCEDP only reaches 12 to 15 percent of the women it is intended to reach now -- in large part because of money. This is entirely unacceptable. In order to eradicate cancer and make progress on these issues, funding must be increased," Brooks added. "The CDC has proven NBCCEDP works. We shouldn't allow anything to stall a program which helps advance cancer prevention and early detection. NBCCEDP should be expanded because it saves lives."

For more information, or to contact American Cancer Society, see their website at: www.cancer.org