Congress Pledges Support - President to sign today

President Bush is to sign the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) Reauthorization at a ceremony to be held at the White House.

This program provides free or low-cost mammograms and Pap tests for low-income, uninsured and underinsured women. Enacting this legislation reauthorizes this successful program and gives states greater flexibility to reach more women who are eligible and in need. Additionally, the bill increases funding for the program from the current $202 million to $275 million over the next five years, allowing it to serve thousands more women.

Passage of this legislation has been a top priority for American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network (CAN). At the Celebration on the Hill event held last September, ACS CAN brought more than 10,000 cancer advocates – some NBCCEDP beneficiaries – to Washington, D. C., to speak with lawmakers about making cancer a national priority. As a result, more than 345 members of Congress pledged their support for the NBCCEDP.

To date, the NBCCEDP has provided nearly 6.5 million screening tests to 2.7 million women, detecting more than 26,000 breast cancers, 1,700 cervical cancers and 88,000 pre-cancerous cervical lesions. However, the program’s limited funding allows it to serve only 1 out of every 5 eligible women nationwide.

For more information about ACS CAN’s efforts to ensure Congress follows through on its promise to increase funding or to take action, visit www.acscan.org

-- From American Cancer Society’s Employee Newsletter