Breast Cancer

Introduced Bills

1. Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act of 2011, October 19, 2011 - Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Steve Israel (D-NY) introduced the Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act of 2011 (H.R. 3102) to help ensure that all women receive information about her breast density on her federally required mammography report. Depending on her breast density measurement, the patient will be notified that she may benefit from supplemental screening tests and should discuss further options with her doctor.  

Enacted Bills

1. Breast and Cervical Cancer Mortality Prevention Act of 1990 – This law established the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP).  The NBCCEDP provides funding for breast cancer and cervical screening services to underserved women (i.e. elderly, low-income, and minority women).  
2. Mammography Quality Standards Act of 1992 (MQSA) – Ensures that all women have access to quality mammography in order to detect breast cancer in early and more treatable stages.  MQSA implementation was delegated to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1993. 
3. The Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000 – Allows states to provide medical assistance through Medicaid to eligible women who are screened through the CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) and are found to have breast or cervical cancer, including pre-cancerous conditions and early stage cancer.  Under the NBCCEDP, low-income and uninsured women under the age of 65 may obtain free breast and cervical cancer screening and follow-up diagnostic services. 
4. Patient Navigator Outreach and Chronic Disease Prevention Act of 2005 – Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize a demonstration grant program to provide patient navigator services to reduce barriers and improve health care outcomes.  Patient navigators are required to conduct ongoing outreach to populations facing health disparities including the uninsured and other medically underserved population.
5. Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 2008 – Authorizes the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make and distribute grants for the development and operation of research centers assessing environmental factors that may be related to breast cancer.
6. Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act of 2009 (EARLY Act) – This law seeks to increase awareness of the risks of breast cancer in young women and provide support for young women diagnosed with breast cancer.  The EARLY Act directs the CDC to develop and implement a national education campaign to increase public awareness about the threat posed by breast cancer to young women of all racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, including the particular risks faced by certain groups.
7. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) – The ACA was signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2011.  There are several key provisions that will eliminate barriers that Black women and low-income women face in seeking out affordable, high quality healthcare, including: prohibiting insurance companies from dropping coverage of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer; prohibiting insurance companies from imposing lifetime limits on coverage; and requiring all new qualified health insurance plans and Medicare to cover preventive health care and screenings including mammograms  - without charging patients for deductibles, co-payments, or co-insurance.