Rep. Rick Lazio (R-NY) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) are the sponsored of a new bill that would help uninsured or poorly-insured women with breast and cervical to obtain treatment.
The government currently funds a Centers for Disease Control program in which low-income women are screened for breast and cervical cancers. Lazio and Eshoo argue that program is flawed in that many of the women who are diagnosed with cancer find themselves unable to afford treatment. Many earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but don’t earn enough to afford adequate insurance.
Lazio and Eshoo’s bill would grant states the opportunities to help low-income women obtain cancer treatment through their Medicaid programs. Lazio explained, “The Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act would allow women to focus their efforts on getting well instead of worrying about how they or their family will be able to pay for their treatment.”
Senate sponsors of the bill include John Chafee (R-RI), Olympia Snow (R-ME), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY).
