Healey Signs Bill to Address Breast Cancer Screening Inequities
Legislation will eliminate costly barriers to follow up breast cancer screening
White House Hosts ACS CAN Volunteer and Other Patient Advocates at Breast Cancer Awareness Event
October 23, 2009
Washington, D.C. – October 23, 2009 – First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, welcomed breast cancer survivors to the White House today to highlight the importance of access to health care for women. The Breast Cancer Awareness Month event brought together several patient advocacy groups, including the American Cancer Society and its advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), and featured real stories from women who have faced coverage issues because of a pre-existing condition.
“Prevention and early detection could help us save so many lives that are tragically and unnecessarily lost to cancer,” said John R. Seffrin, Ph.D., chief executive officer, ACS CAN. “We need to transform our current ‘sick care’ system to one that focuses on prevention and eliminates barriers to care for those who need coverage the most.”
Joni Lownsdale, a 46-year-old mother of two from Rockford, Illinois and ACS CAN volunteer, knows first-hand the gaps in the current health care system and got the chance to share her personal story at the White House event.
“Despite being cancer free for two years with a low chance of recurrence, I was told by multiple insurers that I was uninsurable,” Lownsdale said. “Having a pre-existing condition shouldn’t be grounds for discrimination and I will continue to advocate so that other breast cancer patients and their families can focus on their recovery rather than worrying about how they will pay their bills.”
Watch Joni tell her story on the ACS CAN Web site here.
ACS CAN has long supported programs to help defeat breast cancer, such as the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, which gives uninsured, underinsured and low-income women access to the mammograms and Pap smears they need to find cancer at the earliest stage. But because of inadequate federal funding, fewer than one in five eligible women get the lifesaving cancer screening and treatment they need through the program.
Health care reform legislation under consideration by Congress would take a number of steps to elevate the emphasis on screening and prevention and make it more accessible. ACS CAN continues to advocate for comprehensive reform on behalf of families affected by cancer, as research shows that access to adequate, affordable health care that covers the full spectrum of services from prevention through quality of life care is critical to defeating cancer in this country.
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT
Alissa Havens
Phone: (202) 661-5772
Email: [email protected]
Steve.Weiss
Phone: (202) 661-5711
Email: [email protected]
More Press Releases About