    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
    [February 5, 2000]
    [Pages 189-190]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    February 5, 2000

        Good morning. Today I want to talk about what we can and must do to
    help more women get the lifesaving treatment they need to fight breast
    and cervical cancer. More than 180,000 American women will be diagnosed
    with these diseases this year. Each of us has a sister, a

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    daughter, a friend, or in my case, a mother, who has struggled against
    them.
        These cancers can be treated and cured, if we catch them early and
    fight them aggressively. But more than 40,000 women will die from breast
    and cervical cancer this year. Many are women whose cancer was detected
    or treated too late because they had no health insurance and no hope of
    paying for treatment. In fact, older women with breast cancer are 40
    percent more likely to die from the disease if they're uninsured.
        With strong leadership from the First Lady, we've worked hard over the past 7 years to increase
    free and low-cost cancer screenings and to help women catch these
    diseases in time. We've expanded the National Breast and Cervical Cancer
    Early Detection Program to serve hundreds of thousands of women a year
    in all 50 States. And Vice President Gore
    has led us to make a dramatic increase in our commitment to cancer
    research and treatment. But still it's true that, every year, thousands
    of women are told they have cancer and must cope without insurance.
        This is especially troubling, given the stunning progress scientists
    are making in the fight against cancer. Researchers now can identify
    genes that predict several kinds of cancers. They're experimenting with
    therapies that will shut down defective genes so they can never multiply
    and grow. New drugs and new combinations of drugs will bring hope to
    those whose cancer has spread or who suffer from the side effects of
    chemotherapy.
        These breakthroughs will make a big difference for some of our most
    prevalent cancers, like breast cancer, which strikes one in eight
    American women over a lifetime. But these lifesaving new therapies can
    only help if patients have insurance or other resources that enable them
    to afford state-of-the-art treatment or any treatment at all.
        At a time when we know more about cancer than ever and can fight it
    better than ever, we must not leave women to face cancer alone. That's
    why today I'm announcing a proposal to help States eliminate the
    barriers low income women face to getting treatment for breast or
    cervical cancer. The budget I'm sending to Congress on Monday will allow
    States to provide full Medicaid benefits to uninsured women whose
    cancers are detected through federally funded screening programs. Too
    often, uninsured women face a patchwork of care, inadequate care, or no
    care at all. Many are denied newer, better forms of treatment or wait
    months to see a doctor.
        Judy Lewis was one of the lucky ones. When a
    screening program detected her breast cancer, she had no health
    insurance and no money to spare. Fortunately, she found doctors who
    would treat her, and 17 months later, she's cancer-free. But she and her
    husband are also $28,000 in debt, with nothing left for their
    retirement. That is wrong, and it doesn't have to happen.
        This initiative will help women get comprehensive treatment and get
    it right away. It will make state-of-the-art therapies available to
    women who need them, not just those who can afford them. And it will
    free State and Federal dollars to be spent on cancer screening and
    outreach to women at risk.
        This proposal has strong bipartisan support in Congress, led by
    Senators Barbara Mikulski and Olympia
    Snowe and Representatives Anna Eshoo and Rick Lazio. It was also
    strongly supported by the late Senator John Chafee of Rhode Island.
        These Senators and Representatives from both parties have put
    forward legislation to meet our goal, and my budget includes the funds
    to make it happen. This is an issue that transcends political
    boundaries, because it touches all of us. Together, we can save lives
    and bring medical miracles of our time within the reach of every
    American. We can do it this year, and we ought to do it soon.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 1:43 p.m. on February 4 in the Oval
    Office at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on February 5. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    February 4 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast.