Better Screening Test for Women Act

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remind my colleagues that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and today, October 17, 2003, is especially important as National Mammography Day. Today we celebrate the significant contributions that early detection through mammography has made in reducing deaths from breast cancer.

And tomorrow, on October 18th, thousands of people in my district in Dallas, TX, will turn out for the Race for the Cure 5K event sponsored by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, headquartered in Dallas. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the celebrated Komen Race for the Cure Series. The first Race for the Cure was held in 1983 in Dallas with 800 participants. At a time when breast cancer remained a taboo topic for many people, this life-affirming event was a public way to discuss breast cancer issues positively and meaningfully. Breast cancer survivors were celebrated, and those who had lost their battle with the disease were honored by their friends and family. In addition, participants were able to do something healthy and proactive to support the cause. The event was a tremendous success and quickly gained momentum and visibility. Today, the Komen Foundation hosts Race for the Cure events in 112 U.S. cities and in two foreign countries with nearly 1.5 million participants each year, making it the largest series of 5K events in the world. Each participant receives the life-saving message of early detection. Perhaps most importantly, the Komen Race for the Cure has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for critical breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment programs.

This year, more than 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and nearly 40,000 women will die from this disease. Every 3 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, and every 13 minutes a woman dies from this disease. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women ages 40-59. Men also succumb to this disease, particularly in the elderly African American male population.

All of us here today will be touched by breast cancer in some way during our lifetimes. There is no simple way to prevent breast cancer, but there are ways to detect it early, at a time when patients have more treatment options and a greater chance of survival. The most effective method used today in detecting breast cancer early is mammography screening.

Today, to celebrate ``National Mammography Day,'' the Komen Foundation is launching a campaign to urge Congress to renew the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP). Unfortunately, the authorization for this highly successful program expired on September 30, 2003. Congress must move immediately to reauthorize the NBCCEDP program at a higher funding level of $250 million for FY2005.

By reauthorizing the program and providing at least $250 million for the program, Congress will help provide low-cost mammograms and follow- up care to thousands of women who otherwise could not afford these potentially life-saving services. The NBCCEDP is essential to help eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease. Since the program's inception 13 years ago: approximately 2 million women have been screened, mammography use has increased by approximately 20 percent among women over 50 years of age, and nearly 13,000 cases of breast cancer have been detected.

The tragic fact is that the current NBCCEDP funding level allows it to cover only about 18 percent to 20 percent of the eligible population--which means that four out of five eligible women are not being served. Additional funding is needed to ensure that no eligible woman is denied quality screening and care. Raising the funding to $250 million next year would enable the NBCCEDP to provide approximately 122,000 additional screenings to women in need next year.

During my tenure in Congress and the Texas State Legislature, I have always strived to ensure that America has the resources needed to combat the terrible diseases that plague our communities. I absolutely share your support for an increase in funding for stronger medical research. As a former nurse, that's why I support the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH is an investment that saves lives, and helps Americans to live longer and to live better.

That is why I am so proud to be a cosponsor of the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2003 (H.R. 1886), the Mammogram Availability Act of 2003 (H.R. 736), and the Better Screening Test for Women Act (H.R. 1241). H.R. 1886 improves treatment for breast cancer patients. H.R. 736 requires that health insurance companies provide coverage for annual screening mammography for women 40 years of age or older. H.R. 1241 authorizes additional appropriations to the National Institutes of Health for research on early detection of breast cancer.

To help recognize National Mammography Day, and make it much more than just a commemorative day, I urge my colleagues to join me in calling for the immediate reauthorization of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program at $250 million and more for the coming years. We owe nothing less to our grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sisters and the men in our lives in the race to find a cure for breast cancer.