[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 16 (Wednesday, February 23, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 23, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                    MAMMOGRAPHY SCREENING RESOLUTION

  (Mr. TOWNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, today I have introduced a House resolution 
calling for coverage of mammography screening in any benefits package 
provided under health care reform, for all women between 40 and 49, and 
for any high risk woman under 40. The absence of mammography screening 
coverage for women in these age groups in the proposed health care 
reform package poses a serious threat to the lives of thousands of 
young women in this country.
  The fact is, women under 50 get breast cancer. Indeed, in 1992 alone, 
40,000 breast cancer cases were diagnosed in women under 50, of which 
28,900 were diagnosed in women between the ages of 40 and 49.
  The exclusion of mammography coverage in health care reform for women 
under 50 will affect most American families. No racial, ethnic, or 
economic class in America is immune from the pain and suffering of 
breast cancer: White women and Hawaiian Pacific Islanders have the 
highest incidence of breast cancer in this country; breast cancer is 
the leading cancer killer of young African-American and Hispanic women; 
and, for low-income women, the survival rates are 9 percent lower than 
for women with higher incomes.
  Last year, the Special Commission on Breast Cancer of the President's 
Cancer Panel concluded that earlier detection increases the likelihood 
of reducing mortality. Although the science is not conclusive on this 
issue, the commission recommended that women between 40 and 49 continue 
to have mammography screening while the Public Health Service 
undertakes a study to determine the mortality benefit of screening 
women in this age group.
  Like the President's Cancer Panel, I also believe that until we know 
conclusively the science on mammography, we must continue to provide 
mammography to women between 40 and 49 since it is the most effective 
and widely used form of early detection that we have today. Eliminating 
mammography from current medical practice will generate a huge void in 
early detection for breast cancer and worse, result in thousands of 
avoidable deaths. We cannot allow the financial savings from 
eliminating mammography coverage to overshadow the pain and suffering 
of families who have lost their mothers, sisters, and daughters to 
breast cancer.
  Women's health cannot be rationed under health care reform. The House 
resolution that I am introducing today reinforces this principle. The 
resolution calls for mammography screening coverage for all women 
between 40 and 49, and high-risk women under 40. Those who seek 
mammography screening and can afford to share in the cost of the 
screening will be required to pay a copayment, while women who cannot 
afford to pay the copay will be exempted from any payments. The 
exemption of low-income women from the copay echoes the fundamental 
theme of health care reform--the elimination of all financial barriers 
to access to health care.
  Breast cancer kills many young women in this country. Our goal must 
be to try to stop these deaths in any way possible. This House 
resolution is one way we can start saving lives, by continuing to 
promote and encourage early detection for breast cancer under our 
Nation's new health care reform package.

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