[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 17491-17492]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, women are the backbone of the American 
family and a driving force of our economy. They are our mothers, 
sisters, wives, and daughters. Women are the heart of American families 
and local communities.
  October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this October 
we have many reasons to reflect and celebrate. Thanks to the concerted 
efforts of the public and private sectors, we have come a long way to 
ensuring that women have long, healthy lives.
  Twenty years ago, Congress created the National Breast and Cervical 
Cancer Early Detection Program. Today, the program provides screening 
services for breast and cervical cancer in all 50 States, the District 
of Columbia, five U.S. territories, and 12 American Indian or Alaska 
Native tribes and tribal organizations. Since the program got started, 
almost 4 million women have been served--giving them access to breast 
and cervical cancer screenings that they otherwise could not afford.
  We have recently expanded opportunities for women across the country 
to be screened by including free preventive care, like mammograms and 
cervical cancer screenings, in the new health care reform law. The 
Affordable Care Act eliminates all insurance copays for these 
screenings, which means more women will have access to early detection 
and more women's lives will be saved.
  This October, we are also celebrating the 30th anniversary of the 
beginnings of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, an organization founded on 
Susan's sister's promise to end breast cancer forever. Today, Susan G. 
Komen for the Cure is the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated 
to the fight against breast cancer, investing nearly $1.5 billion in 
grassroots advocacy for quality care and research.
  These efforts have made a big difference. In the last 30 years, we 
have improved the rate of cancer screenings--increasing the percentage 
of women over 40 who receive regular mammograms from less than 30 to 
nearly 75 percent. We have improved the treatment outcomes for women 
with cancer--increasing the 5-year survival rate from 74 percent to 98 
percent. We have also increased the amount of Federal funding going 
toward breast cancer research, prevention, and treatment--ensuring that 
American women benefit from the best that science has to offer.
  Despite these advances, it is estimated that nearly 40,000 women will 
die of breast cancer this year. That means that 40,000 American 
families will lose their mother or grandmother, sister or daughter. We 
cannot let up in this fight. We made a commitment to improving women's 
health in health reform--ending insurance industry abuses that have 
disproportionately affected women for decades, providing preventive 
benefits tailored to meet women's unique health needs, and ensuring 
women of all ages have access to comprehensive, high-quality coverage.
  Improving women's health has a positive effect on the whole family. 
According to the Department of Labor, women make four out of five 
health care decisions for their families and are more likely to be the 
caregivers when family members are ill.
  Improving women's health also has a positive effect on the economy. A 
healthy pregnancy, for example, begins with a healthy woman and leads 
to long, productive lives for mother and child.

[[Page 17492]]

  We have come a long way, but we are not there yet. I am confident 
that with the consistent efforts of Congress and private sector groups 
such as Susan G. Komen for the Cure, we will continue to make progress 
for years to come.

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