SCREENS for Cancer Act Aims to Reauthorize National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program

U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Tammy Baldwin have introduced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP), a critical initiative that provides lifesaving breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services for low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women. The SCREENS for Cancer Act aims to strengthen this vital program, which has helped nearly 4,000 women in Maine receive vital screening tests over the past five years.

Key Takeaways:

• The NBCCEDP has provided lifesaving breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services to over six million women who are low-income, uninsured, and underinsured since 1991.
• The program has a proven record of cancer detection, detecting nearly 80,000 breast cancers and over 25,000 premalignant breast lesions.
• Without access to early detection programs, many people who are uninsured are forced to delay or forgo screenings, which could lead to late-stage breast cancer diagnoses.
• The SCREENS for Cancer Act would reauthorize the NBCCEDP for the first time in more than a decade and make improvements to help ensure the program reaches more eligible women.
• The bill authorizes $235 million per year for FY26 through FY30, providing flexibility to NBCCEDP grantees to implement innovative evidence-based interventions and aggressive outreach to underserved communities.
• The legislation is endorsed by over 20 organizations, including the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Susan G. Komen, and the Alliance for Women's Health and Prevention.

Statistics:

• An estimated 319,750 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer and nearly 43,000 will die from the disease this year alone.
• Since 1991, the NBCCEDP has provided meat six million women with vital breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services.
• The program has detected nearly 80,000 breast cancers and over 25,000 premalignant breast lesions.
• The SCREENS for Cancer Act would provide $235 million per year for FY26 through FY30.

Sources:

• United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
• U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Tammy Baldwin
• Susan G. Komen
• American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
• Alliance for Women's Health and Prevention
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Congress.gov
• MIL-OSI USA News
• Contify.com