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Reauthorization of Breast, Cervical Cancer Screening Program Approved by House, Senate Committees

House Energy and Commerce Committee

On March 15, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved, by voice vote, a bill (H.R. 1132) to reauthorize the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP). The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health approved the measure by voice vote on March 13, after adopting a substitute amendment, also by voice vote, by the bill’s sponsors, Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Sue Myrick (R-NC). The amendment would allow states to spend a greater percentage of their grant money on education and outreach programs to low-income and other underserved women.

The Breast and Cervical Cancer Mortality Prevention Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-354) established the NBCCEDP at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The program provides cervical cancer screenings for low-income women aged 18-64 and breast cancer screening, including mammograms, for low-income women aged 40-64.

The bill would authorize $225 million for FY2008, $245 million for FY2009, $250 million for FY2010, $255 million for FY2011, and $275 million for FY2012.

“This reauthorization will enable this program to continue and will also strengthen it by increasing the program’s authorization level,” said Rep. Baldwin. She continued, “In addition, it will assist rural communities and special populations by permitting a five-state demonstration program for states to receive a time-limited waiver of current regulatory requirements in order to provide greater emphasis on education and outreach, while ensuring that women continue to have access to life-saving screening services.”

“It’s estimated that less than 20 percent of eligible women actually take advantage of this program. Some grantees feel that the key to screening more women lies in further education and outreach efforts,” said Rep. Myrick. She continued, “Waiver approval will be at the discretion of the Secretary, and the language ensures that only states who can improve their overall program with additional outreach and education dollars will be eligible.”

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee

On March 14, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee approved, by voice vote, an identical version of the measure (S. 624), sponsored by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), after adopting a substitute amendment by Chair Edward Kennedy (D-MA) by voice vote.

Sen. Mikulski stated, “I created this important program in 1991 to make sure women without health insurance have access to life-saving tests like mammograms. To date, the program has provided nearly 6.5 million screening tests to 2.7 million women, detecting more than 26,000 breast cancers and 1,700 cervical cancers…The re-authorization bill will provide greater flexibility to states to reach priority, hard to reach populations including women living in rural areas and racial and ethnic minorities.”

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