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OCTOBER 25, 2000

President Clinton signed the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000 into law on Tuesday.

The bill provides over $990 million over 10 years to provide breast and cervical cancer treatment for low-income, uninsured women. It expands on a program instituted 10 years ago, which offers free screening to women.

The bill's sponsor, Representative Sue Myrick (R-N.Carolina), said it was the government's responsibility to offer treatment, since it offers screening. She recently completed treatment for breast cancer in May but said she was lucky because she has insurance.

One of the bill's co-sponsors is Representative Rick Lazio (R-New York). He is upset over the fact that Clinton did not hold a public signing ceremony for the bill and believes he was snubbed because his opponent in the Senate race in New York is First Lady Hillary Clinton.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Get the Bill:
To provide medical assistance for certain women screened and found to have breast or cervical cancer under a federally funded screening program... (H.R.4386)

Relevant Links:
The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program - www.cdc.gov/cancer/NBCCEDP
Ten Years of Progress, The NBCCEDP - www.cdc.gov/cancer/NBCCEDP/anniversary.htm

Related Stories:
More breast cancer screening urged (The Medicine Wheel 10/13)
Breast Cancer Awareness Month (The Medicine Wheel 10/13)