[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 28, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2108]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E2108]]


                     BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 22, 1997

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to join the ranks of 
many of my colleagues who have taken time this month to focus on the 
terrible disease of breast cancer--its human costs as well as its 
economic costs; and the steps we are taking to combat it.
  While breast cancer can strike both men and women, it is women who 
are most frequently its victims. Last year, an estimated 182,000 women 
were diagnosed with breast cancer and 46,000 died of this disease. 
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer for 
women.
  In my State of New Jersey, there are 98,000 women living with breast 
cancer. Many do not even know that they have the disease. This year 
alone, 1,600 New Jersey women will die of breast cancer.
  Mr. Speaker, breast cancer is an epidemic in our country. Every 3 
minutes a woman is diagnosed with it; and every 11 minutes a woman dies 
from it. It costs our Nation $6 billion every year in medical costs and 
lost productivity. With these numbers, I am amazed that we are not 
dedicating more resources to learn more about the causes of breast 
cancer and to find a cure.
  If you do not now know someone who has died from breast cancer or who 
is presently fighting it, you may be assured that at some point in your 
life, you will. Breast cancer strikes one in eight women, and is most 
common in women over age 65.
  In 1991, the Medicare Program began covering biennial screening 
mammograms. However, in 1991-92, only 37 percent of female 
beneficiaries aged 65 and over received a Medicare-paid mammogram. This 
year Congress included in the budget expanded Medicare coverage for 
mammograms with the deductible waived for these screenings. It is 
imperative that women take advantage of this covered service. Early 
diagnosis is essential for successful treatment of this disease. Self-
examination, and annual mammograms can save lives.
  This year, the Pentagon's spending bill includes $160 million for 
breast cancer research and related treatment. The bulk of this 
appropriation will go toward the Army's peer-reviewed research program, 
which focuses on innovation; and encourages new investigators to enter 
the field of breast cancer research, as well as foster 
multidisciplinary approaches to this research.
  The Health and Human Services appropriations bill presently working 
its way through the Congress, has a House-passed level of $145 million 
for breast and cervical cancer screenings.
  The bill also contains language urging the National Cancer Institute 
[NCI] to strengthen its commitment to breast cancer research and to 
maintain support for the implementation of the National Action Plan on 
Breast Cancer.
  In the House we need to pass legislation which will offer concrete 
assistance to victims of breast cancer. There are proposals pending in 
the House which will first, guarantee a minimum hospital stay of 48 
hours for a woman having a mastectomy; which will second, guarantee 
that insurance companies will cover the cost of reconstructive breast 
surgery resulting from mastectomies for which coverage is already 
provided; which will third, guarantee that no insurance plan will be 
allowed to deny coverage to women for annual mammograms for women aged 
40 and over. We need to pass these measures. And, most important, we 
need to increase the amount of money we allocate for breast cancer 
research in this country.
  Mr. Speaker, to borrow from a well-known television commercial, these 
women are our wives, daughters, mothers, grandmothers, and aunts. We 
must do everything we possibly can to eliminate this disease, which 
devastates so many lives and families each year.

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