Arizona, Ohio Consider Breast/Cervical Cancer Treatment Program Expansions

Several Arizona lawmakers are working to win approval for a bill that would expand Arizona's breast cancer screening program to include treatment, which has "traveled a rough road at the Legislature," the Arizona Republic reports (Sherwood, Arizona Republic 4/25). In October, Congress passed the Breast and Cervical Cancer Act of 2000, which allows states to cover through Medicaid the costs of treating uninsured women for breast and cervical cancer. The treatments are tied to the CDC's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, which has offered free screenings for the two cancers since 1990 (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 10/5/00). Arizona's Well Woman Healthcheck has "for years used federal money" to provide the screenings, but in order to expand the program to provide treatment, the state must contribute $1.3 million per year to get a $3.9 million federal match. On April 24, breast cancer survivors rallied at the state Capitol in support of legislation to authorize the funding, which has recently been identified by leaders of both state houses as "one of the top candidates for the $15 million set aside in [the] budget for new spending." The Senate will "likely debate and approve the bill" this week (Arizona Republic, 4/25).

Seeking Funding in Ohio
Meanwhile, Ohio Gov. Bob Taft (R) said April 25 that his administration will "find" the money to fund the Medicaid breast and cervical cancer treatment program in that state. Taft directed Jo Ann Davidson, interim director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, to work with legislative leaders to include money for the program in the state budget. The program could cost the state "between $440,000 and $1 million," the Columbus Dispatch reports. Taft had previously said that because of a state "budget crunch," he could not commit to funding the program, a position that drew criticism from two of the state's congressional representatives, Sherrod Brown (D) and Ted Strickland (D), during an in-state appearance in March. A spokeswoman for the governor, however, said he "changed his mind after he read a newspaper column about the issue" (Johnson, Columbus Dispatch, 4/26).