A new bipartisan bill could bring much-needed relief to thousands of women across the country. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) have reintroduced the SCREENS for Cancer Act, which would provide $235 million a year to restore funding for the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. This long-running program offered free or low-cost screenings to women who are low-income, uninsured, or underinsured, until its funding was cut in recent budget proposals. Since 1991, it has delivered over 16.5 million exams and helped detect nearly 80,000 cases of breast cancer.
Early detection saves lives, plain and simple. The program doesn’t just fund screenings, it also helps with education, outreach, and guiding patients through care. Without it, too many women could miss out on early diagnoses, when treatment is most effective and affordable. Health groups like Susan G. Komen and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists are backing the bill, warning that without renewed funding, later-stage cancer diagnoses and their sky-high treatment costs will become more common.
This isn’t a partisan issue, it’s a public health one. Cancer touches nearly every family, and access to early detection shouldn’t depend on your income or insurance status. The SCREENS for Cancer Act is smart policy that puts people over politics. Congress has a chance to do the right thing—now it just needs to act.
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