Edolphus Towns: “I am pleased that we will have an opportunity to vote on this important health bill before this weekend's celebration of…”

“I am pleased that we will have an opportunity to vote on this important health bill before this weekend's celebration of Mother's Day. Certainly, no action is more important than the preventive breast and cervical cancer health screenings which will be authorized by this bill. As an advocate for retaining mammography screenings at age 40, I am pleased that H.R. 4386 will afford us the opportunity to provide breast and cervical cancer screenings for early detection and treatment. For the grandmothers, mothers and aunts who are too young for Medicare and whose incomes are too high for Medicaid, but who still do not have health insurance, this bill can literally be the difference between life and death. H.R. 4386 includes the enhanced match of 75 percent Federal to 25 percent state dollars for treatment, instead of the basic 60 percent Federal to 40 percent State dollars. Hopefully, this enhanced match will be a major incentive for Governors to enroll their States in the program once the bill is signed into law so that these women can receive the treatment they need. I remain hopeful that our Senate colleagues will soon join us in passing this important initiative.”