National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Reauthorization Act of 2007

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1132, the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Reauthorization Act of 2007. This legislation will further the work of this important program within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The National

Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) is a federally-funded initiative that provides access to breast and cervical cancer early detection services to low-income and underserved women.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among American women. Sadly, one in every eight American women--an estimated 200,000 women this year alone--will be diagnosed with breast cancer according to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The American Cancer Society reports in ``Breast Cancer Facts and Figures 2005-2006'' that 40,410 women lost their fights with breast cancer last year. In 2007, the American Cancer Society estimates that 11,150 cases of cervical cancer will be diagnosed and about 3,670 women will lose the battle with cervical cancer this year alone. More must be done to provide access to early detection programs that have the potential to greatly reduce these staggering numbers.

The NBCCEDP provides breast examinations, mammograms, pap smears, and a number of other services to women who fall at or below 250 percent of the Federal poverty level. To date, this successful program has served nearly three million women and diagnosed more than 29,000 breast cancers and 1,800 cervical cancers. Access to early detection medical services is an important step in battling breast and cervical cancers.

As the Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus' Health Task Force, I am acutely aware of the high rates of cancer infections present in the Asian and Pacific Islander American communities. For instance, breast cancer is also the leading cause of cancer death for Filipino-American women, and cervical cancer strikes Vietnamese American women five times more often than Caucasian women, according to the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum. I am also all too aware of the disparities that exist for and the challenges that must be overcome by women from minority communities in order to gain access to screening and diagnostic services for breast and cervical cancer. The CDC reports that the number of new breast cancer diagnoses over the last ten years has remained stable or decreased significantly within ethnic groups other than Asian and Pacific Islander American. The prevalence of breast cancer diagnoses in the Asian and Pacific Islander American, however, has increased during the last 10 years.

On Guam, we have a shortage of oncology-related services. There is no radiology treatment center on Guam. Our only oncologist recently left the island. Cancer early detection is an even higher priority for the people of Guam in light of the challenges we face each day toward gaining better access to cancer diagnosis for those who may be at risk, better treatment for those battling the disease, and better long-term care for those who are survivors.

As someone who knows firsthand the impact that breast and cervical cancer can have on a family, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation and ensure that we make early detection and diagnosis of breast and cervical cancer a national priority.

Mr. Speaker, I am really pleased to be able to speak on behalf of this bill tonight in reauthorizing the Nation's breast and cervical cancer screening program in all 50 States.

Many women around the country work hard but are uninsured and don't qualify for Medicaid or other insurance assistance. This program helps to give them peace of mind when it comes to a disease that women often fear the most: Cancer.

Many hardworking women would like to be responsible and get preventive screenings. But, as we all know, it is very expensive to do so without insurance. And it is even more expensive for all of us if these women go without screening and an undiagnosed cancer is allowed to progress.

The early detection programs in our States and districts provide free and low-cost screenings, medical referrals, and education for women who may not otherwise have access to preventive tests. It is literally a lifesaver for women across the country, because breast cancer is still the most common cancer among women, and cervical cancer is very preventable. Thankfully, we continue to make strides against these diseases.

Millions of women have been screened; and at CDC's last count, they state the program has detected almost 30,000 breast cancers and over 1,700 cervical cancers.

As a breast cancer survivor, I know how scary it is to hear those words, ``You have cancer.'' I can't even imagine what it would be like to be told, ``But I'm sorry, I can't help.''

That is why a few years ago I introduced a bill that would allow State Medicaid programs to cover treatment costs for women who are screened through the program; and it passed the House with only one ``no'' vote in May, 2000. And of course 50 States do cover the treatment cost as well.

We all know prevention is the most cost-effective way to fight the war on cancer, and this screening program saves money by detecting those cancers early and steering women towards treatment options.

It is also, unfortunately, estimated that less than 20 percent of the eligible women in the country are served by the program; and so the bill today provides for enhanced preventive efforts and includes a structured limited waiver demonstration project through the Department of Health and Human Services to improve flexibility.

States that can prove that they can increase the number of women served may apply to use the higher percentage of their Federal funding for outreach, education, medical training and other services. So, hopefully, some of the most vulnerable women will be reached.

States must meet a series of requirements in order to apply for the waiver to ensure that the Federal dollars are spent as efficiently as possible.

Grantees across the country have effectively leveraged the private dollars with the Federal money they receive; and, as others have acknowledged, I am grateful, too, to Susan G. Komen and the American Cancer Society and other groups for their dedication to the screening program.

I am glad that this bill is on the House floor today; and I would like to thank the bill's sponsor, Representative Tammy Baldwin, for her hard work on this legislation. I would also like to thank Chairman Dingell and Ranking Member Barton for their prompt consideration of this bill. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1132.

Mr. Speaker, it is high time we reauthorize the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. This important program provides breast and cervical cancer screening to low-income, uninsured women who otherwise would have little or no access to such care. Early detection is a woman's most powerful weapon against breast or cervical cancer because early detection, followed by early treatment intervention, greatly increases a woman's odds of beating cancer; and we know that our vigilance is having results as this is the second straight year of declining cancer deaths.

The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program is a Federal-State partnership that builds on the existing public health infrastructure and involves all sectors of the community in outreach and delivery of services.

Established in 1991, the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program provides low-income women who have limited or no health insurance with breast and cervical cancer screening, education, outreach, and case management services. Administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program provides access to mammograms, pap tests, surgical consultations, and diagnostic testing. The program is operational in all 50 states, four U.S. territories, the District of Columbia, and 13 American Indian or Alaskan Native organizations. The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program also works with nonprofit organizations that provide supplemental funding for screening, education, outreach, case management and treatment services.

To date, the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program has provided nearly 6.5 million screenings to 2.7 million women, detecting almost 30,000 breast cancers, almost 90,000 precancerous cervical lesions and 1,700 cervical cancers.

This reauthorization will strengthen this important program by increasing the program's authorization level. At its current $205 million funding level, it is estimated that the program only provides services to 20 percent of all eligible women in the United States. This additional authorization would enable the program to provide 147,000 more screenings per year.

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.

I have been honored to work on this reauthorization, and I want to thank the American Cancer Society and the Susan G. Komen Foundation for their continued support of this critical program.

In addition, I have been honored to work with my colleague, Congresswoman Sue Myrick, in advancing this important legislation. In the war against breast and cervical cancer, we know that screening and early detection saves lives. I am very proud and pleased that on this issue Republicans and Democrats are working together to support a life- saving program. I urge all of my colleagues to support this reauthorization.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program and its reauthorization. I commend the congresswomen who have spoken tonight, Mrs. Myrick and Ms. Baldwin, for their dedication to this important program and for their work to ensure its continued success.

Cancer is a disease that affects almost all Americans in one way or another. It is as indiscriminate a disease as you can find. It does not care about your age, your family, your sex, your race, your religion.

It reminds us that we are human and we are vulnerable. But as every survivor knows, it brings out our resilience, our strength, and it makes us value and really savor every moment of our lives afterward, and I can say that as a survivor of ovarian cancer.

It has also taught us just how critical early detection can be; and when detected at its earliest stages, the 5-year survival rate for breast cancer is nearly 98 percent. When detected at its earliest stages, the 5-year survival rate for cervical cancer is more than 92 percent. However, many women have limited access to life-saving early cancer detection.

So in 1990, Congress created a National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, and I was

proud to be part of that effort. It provides access to critical breast and cervical cancer screening services for underserved women in the United States, especially those at high risk for breast cancer, including minority women and women with a family history of breast cancer.

Since its launch, the program has served more than 2.9 million women, and it has provided more than 6.9 million screening examinations and diagnosed more than 29,000 breast cancers; 94,000 precursor cervical lesions; and 1,800 cervical cancers. Any way you look at it, these numbers represent incredible success, and they translate into lives saved.

We have made tremendous progress in the fight against cancer, but there is no doubt we have a long way still to go. Today, the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program reaches only 20 percent of eligible women. We need to work together to make sure that all women can take advantage of the medical advances we have seen, so that everyone has a fighting chance of beating this disease.

That is why this legislation is so important. It provides this critical and proven program with the resources for 147,000 more screenings per year. Through a five-State demonstration project it extends assistance to rural communities and special populations, providing an emphasis on education and on outreach, while ensuring that women continue to have access to life-saving screening services.

Reauthorization is critical. We know that more challenges lie ahead, and so we must keep up the drumbeat. Outreach, education, screenings: these make early detection possible. They make beating cancer possible. They are powerful tools that give us real hope.

We do a lot of things in this institution. We deal with roads, bridges, any number of parks. This is life and death.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women and the leading cause of cancer death among women under the age of 40. Early detection and education are key to winning this battle. It is imperative that we reauthorize the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Act, H.R. 1132, so that all women are given access to free and low-cost breast and cervical screenings. No woman should be denied these life-saving screenings simply because they cannot afford them. Further, all women should be made aware of the benefits of each screening and the risks of these cancers through public education programs.

This issue is very important within my District of Marin and Sonoma Counties in California, and especially so in Marin County because it has the highest rate of breast cancer in the country. Among white women, aged 45 to 64, the breast cancer rate in Marin has increased 72 percent in the last decade. Marin County's rates are approximately 40 percent higher than the national average and about 30 percent higher than the rest of the Bay Area. This is why early detection and education in women of all ages is so important.

In addition to this important legislation, we need to do more to prevent breast cancer deaths in women under the age of 40. Approximately 11,000 women under the age of 40 will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, of which nearly 1,300 will die. That's why I introduced the Annie Fox Act, H.R. 715, named after a young woman in my district who was diagnosed with breast cancer and died at the age of 35. This bill will authorize research into the causes of breast cancer in younger woman and educate them about the risks of breast cancer.

It is important that we not only continue to fund preventative screenings, education and research for women over the ages of 45, but that we also do so for our younger women so that they may live long, healthy lives.

I applaud the passage of this important legislation and look forward to working with my colleagues to pass H.R. 715, the Annie Fox Act.