California Plan To Scale Back No-Cost Breast Cancer Screening Programs Draws Criticism

Main Category: Breast Cancer
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology;  Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP;  Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 18 Dec 2009 - 1:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

California lawmakers and women's health advocates this week expressed concern and anger about a change in policy scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2010 -- that would make some low-income women younger than age 50 ineligible for no-cost breast cancer screenings, the Sacramento Bee reports. California Department of Public Health officials this month agreed to temporarily halt enrollment in the no-cost screening program, called Every Woman Counts (Sanders, Sacramento Bee, 12/16). Officials clarified on Wednesday that the policy change will not affect women in Medi-Cal, the state's version of Medicaid, because Every Woman Counts serves women whose incomes exceed Medi-Cal limits or are ineligible for other reasons. Medi-Cal reimburses providers for routine breast cancer screenings, they said (Sanders, Sacramento Bee, 12/17).

Every Woman Counts will continue to provide the screening service to women ages 50 and older but will cease to enroll new participants between Jan. 1 and June 30 next year, according to the Bee. The program is aimed at women with incomes less than 200% of the federal poverty level, or $21,660 for a single person and $36,620 for a family of three. A letter co-signed by 21 members of the state's congressional delegation, which was released on Tuesday during a news conference at the state Capitol, criticized CDPH's decision and called for the reinstatement of the program's former policies. The decision "is penny-unwise and pound foolish," the letter states.

State Assembly member Pedro Nava (D) called the policy change a "death sentence" for women who depend on the screenings. Assembly Budget Committee Chair Noreen Evans (D) pledged to search "every nook and cranny" for the $16 million to restore the services, adding, "Once again, the governor has failed women of the state of California." Donna Sanderson of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure - Sacramento Valley said that the decision to scale back the program is particularly disturbing because it was made during "a financial climate where more and more women are losing their jobs and insurance."

Al Lundeen, a spokesperson for CDPH, said the decision to scale back the screening primarily was based on economic factors. Lundeen said that the Every Woman Counts program depends on state tobacco tax revenues, which have decreased amid a decline in smoking rates. He rejected suggestions that CDPH officials were influenced by the recent U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines on breast cancer screenings, adding, "It isn't that we don't want to provide these services. We can't afford to provide these services." He noted that the policy change allows the program to redirect its limited resources toward other services.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) in a letter defending the new policy said, "Unlike the federal government, states cannot print money to solve ... budget problems," adding, "Thus, we were forced to make very difficult decisions." The letter, to Republican and Democratic members of Congress who have urged the rescission of the new policy, also called on the congressional delegation to "step up and fight" for the state's "fair share of federal tax dollars." Rachel Arrezola, a spokesperson for Schwarzenegger, said that the governor is prepared to discuss alternative funding mechanisms with state legislators (Sanders, Sacramento Bee, 12/16).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

© 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

• Additional
• References
• Citations