HHS Approves Six New States for Medicaid Benefits though Federal Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson on June 1 approved applications from six states -- Utah, Idaho, South Dakota, Illinois, Indiana and Montana -- for a new program that offers Medicaid benefits to uninsured women who are diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer through a CDC screening program. While participation in the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Program is optional, states that provide the benefit receive more funds from the federal Medicaid program than the state would normally receive for providing treatment to enrolled women. Thompson said that he plans to write to governors of states who do not participate in BCCPT and "encourage them to take advantage" of the program. "I am proud of the action we are taking today to assure that women who are fighting these diseases will get the help they need," Thompson said, adding, "This new program meets the administration's goal of allowing states to exercise the options they believe will best benefit their citizens. I hope other states will soon follow in the footsteps of these six states" (HHS release, 6/1). Funding for Maryland, West Virginia and New Hampshire has also been approved (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 4/2).
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