[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 136 (Friday, October 2, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S11365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                BREAST AND CERVICAL CANCER TREATMENT ACT

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, in the remaining days of this 
Congress, we can make a profound difference in the lives of American 
women. The Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act, S. 2017, would 
ensure that women whose cancer is diagnosed through the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention's screening program have access to the 
medical care they need. It would give states the option of extending 
Medicaid coverage to low-income, uninsured women who have been 
diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer through the CDC program.
  Federal legislation is needed because the patchwork of state laws 
does not ensure women the treatment they need. In California, the 
health care community and breast cancer activists mobilized behind a 
bill to provide breast cancer treatment to uninsured and underinsured 
women. The California legislature passed the bill and sent it to the 
Governor for his signature. Despite the bill's widespread popularity, 
the Governor vetoed it a few days ago.
  If we care enough about women's health to provide coverage for 
screenings, then we should care enough to provide treatment when those 
screenings find cancer. The last thing a woman should have to worry 
about when she is diagnosed is how she will pay for her treatment.
  The heart wrenching experience of one of my constituents shows us how 
important the Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act is.
  Two and a half years ago, Edna Harris of Imperial Beach, California 
felt a lump in her breast. Like so many other women in her position, 
she feared it was cancerous. But Edna had another reason to worry. She 
was uninsured, and neither she nor her husband were employed.
  Under the CDC's Early Detection program, Edna underwent a mammogram, 
a fine needle biopsy, and then a full biopsy. When the results came in, 
her worst fear had come true: she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and 
told she needed surgery. The CDC program that had diagnosed her did not 
cover the costs of treatment. Edna was told that unless she would come 
up with nearly $4,000, she could not receive treatment.
  Edna's experience reveals a fatal flaw in one of our best-
intentioned, and indeed most successful, programs. Low income and 
uninsured women who are diagnosed with cancer under the CDC program 
must scramble to find the money for treatment. Edna was fortunate; she 
ultimately was able to come up with the resources to fund her 
treatment. But others are not so fortunate. I have heard from women who 
have had to mortgage their homes or hold bake sales to pay for cancer 
treatment. This is unacceptable.
  The Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act will help ensure that 
all our mothers, daughters, and sisters receive the treatment they need 
at one of the most vulnerable times of their lives. I urge our 
leadership to bring the Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act to the 
floor this session. We owe it to the women of this country to pass this 
legislation before Congress adjourns.

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