"The federal government provides detection of but not treatment for these cancers," Grassley said. "That gap leaves thousands of women in terrible financial straits. They have to go deep into debt to get the treatment they need to survive. A new program will ease this situation and give cancer victims list-sustaining care."
"Federal passage of this bill moves us one step closer to providing life-saving treatment to women who have been diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer," Harkin said. "Now we need the state of Iowa to step up and enroll in this important program so that Iowa patients can have access to cancer drugs and therapies."
Grassley, Harkin and Iowa's five U.S. House members last Friday wrote to Gov. Tom Vilsack, the speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives and the majority leader of the state Senate, urging them to enroll Iowa in the federal treatment program.
Enrolling in the federal program would net the state federal matching funds, according to the congressional delegation's letter. In addition, Iowa's participation in this program would likely result in decreased state costs as many women screened and diagnosed in the federal program are currently being treated in public hospitals with state funds, the letter said.
The treatment option comes from the bipartisan Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act, which President Clinton signed into law on Oct. 24, 2000, after overwhelming congressional approval.
The legislation gives states the option of providing Medicaid coverage for low-income women who are screened and diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer through the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. These women, who often work in low-wage jobs that do not offer health insurance, now rely on the fragile system of charity care.
Iowa's delegation members have heard from women across the state who owe tens of thousands of dollars for treatment they received after learning of their breast and cervical cancer through the federal screening program.
Grassley spearheaded the treatment legislation after the death of Sen. John Chafee, who introduced the measure. Grassley's wife, Barbara Grassley, is a breast cancer survivor. Harkin was a lead Democratic co-sponsor on the measure, and, in 1990, as Chairman of the Health Appropriations Subcommittee, provided the original funding for the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. Harkin's two sisters died from breast cancer.