Governor Youngkin Signs Legislation Aimed at Improving Access to Lifesaving Cancer Screenings
Last week, Governor Youngkin signed critical legislation improving Virginians’ access to colorectal cancer screening.
Bill Would Increase Access to Colon Cancer Screenings and Treatments for the Medically Underserved
March 9, 2011
WASHINGTON – March 9, 2011 – Critical legislation introduced recently in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives would ensure access to lifesaving colon cancer screening and treatment for the most vulnerable populations. The legislation builds on efforts to improve access to health care nationwide and to refocus the health care system on preventing disease.
The Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment Act of 2011 (S. 494/ H.R. 912), sponsored by U.S. Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and U.S. Representatives Kay Granger (R-TX) and James McGovern (D-MA), would create a national program run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide grants to states for screening low-income individuals who cannot afford to get tested. The program would bridge the gap for men and women who are within the recommended age for colon cancer screening but are not eligible for new benefits under the Affordable Care Act.
“I commend the cosponsors in the House and Senate on this important bipartisan effort,” said Christopher W. Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). “Less than 20 percent of the uninsured have been properly screened for colon cancer, which means that too many Americans are going without this lifesaving screening because they cannot afford it. We urge Congress to help stop a cancer that can be prevented in many cases.”
Also known as colorectal cancer, colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the third leading cause of cancer deaths. An estimated 102,900 new cases of colon cancer were diagnosed in the U.S. in 2010, and an estimated 51,370 colorectal cancer deaths occurred in the same year.
African American and Hispanic men and women are disproportionately affected by this disease, having higher colon cancer incidence and mortality rates than whites. Economic disparities play a significant role in these statistics, as being uninsured or underinsured often hinders access to colon cancer screening tests, which would detect the disease at an earlier, more treatable stage.
“Colon cancer has a five-year survival rate of over 90 percent when diagnosed early, but a survival rate of only 11 percent when diagnosed late,” said Gary Reedy, chair of ACS CAN’s board of directors. “Colon cancer screening has been proven to prevent cancer through the detection and removal of premalignant polyps. The program created by this legislation would help to save lives, prevent suffering, and reduce the cost burden of colon cancer on our country.”
S. 494 and H.R. 912 would also train health care providers about how to talk to their patients about the importance of colorectal cancer screening, and support a public education campaign to encourage everyone 50 and older to get this critical cancer screening.
The screening program created by this legislation would be modeled after the successful National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, a CDC run national program which offers lifesaving cancer screenings to low income and medically underserved women and provides a gateway to treatment. Since 1990, more than nine million screening exams have been performed through the program for more than 3.7 million women, resulting in the detection of more than 44,000 cases of breast cancer and saving an untold number of lives. The American Cancer Society and ACS CAN have been steadfast supporters of the program since its inception 20 years ago.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Christina Saull
(202) 585-3250
[email protected]
Steven Weiss
(202) 661-5711
[email protected]
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