Joe Crowley: “this year more than 200,000 American women will be diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer. These women are our…”

“this year more than 200,000 American women will be diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer. These women are our mothers, our sisters, our friends, and our colleagues. I am proud to be a cosponsor of the bipartisan Breast and Cervical Treatment Act that will enable low-income, uninsured women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer in the National Breast and Cervical Cancer early detection program [NBCCEDP] to obtain treatment. Currently, the CDC detection programs provide eligible women with screening, but if cancer is detected, there are no funds to provide much-needed treatment. Instead, these women have to find other funds for treatment. No woman should have to worry about funding her treatment. H.R. 4386 is bipartisan legislation that would add the life-saving treatment component to the NBCCEDP. The Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act has overwhelming support and was passed unanimously by the Commerce Committee. I support this critical legislation and urge every member to vote for passage. It is simply unfair that low-income, uninsured women are not given every treatment available to save their lives because they cannot afford costly medication and treatments. Passage of this legislation is the best Mother's Day gift we can give our mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters. All women and their families in this country deserve the peace of mind that if diagnosed with one of these terrible illnesses, they will have access to the treatment they deserve.”