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One more is too many - Close the Gap!
One more is too many – Close the Gap!The Wall Street Journal recently highlighted the heart-wrenching story of Shirley Loewe, who was uninsured when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Shirley went to the wrong clinic and was caught in a “legal loophole” that denied Medicaid coverage for her treatment. Sadly, Shirley lost her battle with breast cancer in June. Read the article here. Please take a moment to take action on behalf of women like Shirley across the country who are being denied life-saving breast cancer treatment based solely on where they were screened. Because of these gaps in our healthcare system, this diagnosis could be much deadlier for racial and ethnic minorities, the poor, and those with little or no health insurance. It's a national shame. Every woman deserves access to quality breast cancer treatment that can save her life. Surviving breast cancer should not depend on where you live, the color of your skin, or how much money you make. Please help by urging your elected officials to ensure that not one more woman has to endure what Shirley did!
Dear [ Decision Maker ] , I just read John Carreyrou's heartbreaking story in the Wall Street Journal of how Shirley Loewe fell into the treatment gap in the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act (BCCPTA). As your constituent, I urge you to ensure that not one more woman has to endure what Shirley did. Please work to close the legal loophole in the Treatment Act that causes women with breast cancer to be denied life-saving treatment based solely on where they were screened. The BCCPTA provides Medicaid coverage for low-income, uninsured, and underinsured who were screened under the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) and found to have breast or cervical cancer. States were given the option to provide more expansive coverage for treatment, yet 21 states still implement the most restrictive coverage model (Option 1), which results in women being denied treatment based on where they were screened. Any delays in treatment can affect a woman's prognosis and chances for survival. It is time for all elected officials to act to correct this unacceptable gap in treatment! It is unethical to screen a woman for breast cancer and then provide her no viable options for treatment. I urge you to do your part to eliminate the gap in the current Treatment Act and provide equal access to treatment to ALL women. Thank you for your support on this issue.
Sincerely, |
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| Background Information |
This year alone, more than 217,000 American women and men will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and over 40,000 will die from this devastating disease. In addition to invasive breast cancer, 59,390 new cases of in situ breast cancer are expected to occur among women during 2006. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women ages 40-50. Tell us why you care about breast cancer.
