Advocates Urge Arkansas Lawmakers To Fund Breast Cancer Program

Main Category: Breast Cancer
Article Date: 12 Jan 2010 - 5:00 PDT

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Women's health advocates last week urged Arkansas lawmakers to compensate for budget cuts to the state Department of Health's Breast Care Program, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. Program supporters gave members of the state House and Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor committees a letter the department sent to breast care providers in October 2009 stating that the services were being "limited" because of cost increases and "declining revenues."

Mary Leath, deputy director of DOH, said the program will receive about $3.4 million in state funding in 2010, which is about a $400,000 decline from 2009. The decline is due to decreases in tobacco tax revenues, which fund the program, Leath said, adding that the department "had to curtail new enrollments in the program." Jennifer Dillaha, director of the DOH's Center for Health Advancement, said the department also receives about $2.6 million annually from the federal government.

State Sen. Percy Malone (D), chair of the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee, said that the Legislature is not likely to add money to the program's budget. He added, "With the revenue reductions we are having, I don't know where we can cut to get the money." The program is available to women ages 40 to 64 with incomes up to 200% of the federal poverty level who lack adequate health insurance to pay for breast cancer screening and treatment. Leath said that the program serves about 12,000 women annually and that an additional 36,000 women are eligible but not enrolled.

According to Dillaha, the new service caps do not affect women already diagnosed with cancer; however, other women are being put on a wait list for cancer screenings. She added that the caps are expected to make up for the revenue shortfalls and that the program is now accepting more patients (Blomeley, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 1/7).

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