"This legislation is critical to the fight against breast and cervical cancer," Grassley said. "It reaches out to the thousands of women who fall through the cracks of the current system and have no way to pay for treatment after receiving the devastating news that they have these cancers. It assures them of the treatment they need to survive."
Grassley's comments came in support of the Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act of 2000 (S. 662). In April, he helped secure funding in the budget resolution conference report for this measure. The final budget resolution contains $50 million in the first year and $250 million over five years for this treatment.
Grassley, a lead sponsor of the bill, took up the cause of moving it through Congress after its original sponsor, the late Sen. John Chafee, died in office. Grassley said the measure is necessary because the federal government has screened women for breast and cervical cancer for 10 years but does not provide treatment after cancer is detected. Most of the women screened are well below the age to be covered by Medicare and have no health insurance, he said.
Grassley described the experience of a woman from Evansdale, Iowa, in making the case for the legislation. After learning of her cancer through the early detection program, Barbara Morrow was left to rely on charity care. She also accumulated more than $70,000 in debt for breast cancer. She sends what she can each month, yet her bills are so high she often wonders if she should quit treatment so she will not saddle herself and her family with so much debt.
Then, her grandson was diagnosed with cancer at age 9. He is now 16, and she and her daughter continue to care for him. Now she feels she must stay alive to help her daughter and grandson.
"There are millions of women like Barbara Morrow in our country," Grassley said. "They're in critical need, and we have to help them recover their good health without building a lifetime of debt."
The measure is on a fast track for final congressional approval and is expected to reach the President's desk soon.