Women's Health Articles

Your Guide to Cancer

Screening

Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment

The Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000

On October 24, 2000. The Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-354) was signed into law. This Act, which has an effective date of October 1, 2000, gives states the option to provide medical assistance through Medicaid to eligible women who were screened through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) and found to have breast or cervical cancer, including pre-cancerous conditions.

NBCCEDP, which is administered by CDC, provides free breast and cervical cancer screening and follow-up diagnostic services to women in need, such as those who are uninsured or have low incomes. In 2000, CDC began its 10th year of this landmark program, supporting early detection programs in all 50 states, 6 U.S. territories, the District of Columbia, and 12 American Indian and Alaska Native organizations.

Native American Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Technical Amendment Act of 2001

On January 15, 2002, Congress passed a technical amendment to the BCCPT Act. This amendment, the Native American Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Technical Amendment Act of 2001, extends benefits of the BCCPT Act to additional American Indian and Alaska Native women. On February 28, 2002, CMS sent a letter to State Health Officials advising them of this new provision. The amendment is attached to the letter.

Medicaid Eligibility Requirements

In order for a woman to be eligible for Medicaid under this option, she must:

• have been screened for and found to have breast or cervical cancer, including precancerous conditions, through the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP)
• be under age 65; and
• be uninsured and otherwise not eligible for Medicaid

Presumptive Eligibility Option

States may also choose the presumptive eligibility option to facilitate and expedite the eligibility process.

Presumptive eligibility is a Medicaid option that allows states to enroll women in Medicaid for a limited period of time before full Medicaid applications are filed and processed, based on a determination by a Medicaid provider of likely Medicaid eligibility.

Additional Guidance Information

CMS and CDC are working together to develop further guidance which provides timely responses to important issues. CMS and CDC will release additional guidance as needed and as it becomes available. Comments and questions may be addressed to BCCPT@cms.hhs.gov.

WANT MORE INFORMATION? TRY THESE SITES

State Medicaid Agencies

www.cms.hhs.gov/medicaid/mcontact.asp or
http://medicaid.aphsa.org/members.htm

CDC - Call the Toll-Free Voice Information System at 1-888-842-6355, Option 7, or E-mail cancerinfo@cdc.gov.

Contact: Please send any comments or questions by E-mail to BCCPT@cms.hhs.gov

Women's Health USA 2005

Maternal and Child Health Library
August 12, 2005

Women's Health USA 2005, the fourth edition of the data book, presents a profile of women's health at the national level from a variety of data sources. The data book, developed by the Health Resources and Services Administration's Office of Women's Health, includes information and data on population characteristics, health status, and health services utilization. New topics in this edition include household composition, maternity leave, contraception, and adolescent pregnancy. The data book also highlights racial and ethnic disparities and gender differences in women's health. The data book is intended to be a concise reference for policymakers and program managers at the federal, state, and local levels to identify and clarify issues affecting the health of women. It is available at http://mchb.hrsa.gov/whusa_05/index.htm.

Wisconsin Lawmaker Might Withdraw Support of Bill Protecting Pharmacists' Refusal To Fill Prescriptions If Applicable to Contraceptives
[Aug 25, 2005]

      Wisconsin state Rep. Robin Vos (R) said he might withdraw his support of a bill (AB 285) he co-sponsored that would protect pharmacists who refuse to fill certain prescriptions for moral or religious reasons if the bill would allow pharmacists to deny women birth control, the AP/Janesville Gazette reports. The bill would protect pharmacists in the state who refuse to dispense drugs for "abortions, assisted suicides and euthanasia," which critics say could allow a pharmacist who believes contraceptives cause abortions to refuse to fill those prescriptions. Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin recently sponsored an online advertisement highlighting Vos' support of the bill, saying he "wants to make it legal for pharmacists to deny women their birth control pills." However, Vos said he supports contraceptive use and does not believe a pharmacist should be allowed to refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control. The bill is scheduled for a hearing in September, and Vos said he will use that opportunity to evaluate whether the legislation could affect women's access to birth control (AP/Janesville Gazette, 8/24). Link to this story.

Daily Women's Health Policy

Kaisernetwork.org

Pregnancy & Childbirth | 95% of OB/GYNs Recommend That Pregnant Women Receive Flu Vaccine, But About One-Third of OB/GYNs Have It Available, Survey Says [Oct 24, 2005]

      About 95% of OB/GYNs recommend that healthy pregnant woman beyond their first trimester receive an influenza vaccination, but 36% to 38% of those physicians do not offer the vaccine at their practices, according to a survey by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists published in Friday's issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Reuters Health reports (Reuters Health, 10/20). ACOG in May 2004 mailed a survey to a random sample of 1,000 OB/GYN members of the group and received a response from 515 OB/GYNs. The 102 respondents who had not seen pregnant patients during the 2003-2004 flu season were excluded. The survey found that 52% of the OB/GYNs would recommend that a healthy pregnant woman receive a flu vaccine in her first trimester and 63% would recommend the vaccine to a pregnant woman in her first trimester who has a medical condition. About 59% of the physicians reported seeing a pregnant woman in their practice who they thought may have influenza, but 84% of those respondents said they rarely or never tested pregnant women for the flu (Bettes et al., MMWR, 10/21). CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization and Practices recommends immunizing pregnant women against influenza, but in 2003 only 13% were vaccinated, according to Reuters Health. "Vaccination against influenza is recommended because women infected with influenza during pregnancy are at increased risk of serious heart and lung conditions that may lead to hospitalizations," CDC epidemiologist Kathleen Raleigh, an author of the MMWR report, said (Reuters Health, 10/20). The authors noted that the findings highlight the need to improve access to and use of influenza vaccines for both healthy pregnant women and women who are at high risk of contracting the illness (MMWR, 10/21).

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=33262

Women who’ve had hysterectomy have more CVD risk factors

Women who’ve had hysterectomies have more cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, which makes them more prone to heart disease and stroke, researchers reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

In a study of nearly 90,000 women, women who had undergone a hysterectomy had a 26 percent higher risk of a cardiovascular event compared to women who had not undergone hysterectomy. 

Women who'd undergone hysterectomy tended to be more obese, suffer more hypertension, diabetes and higher cholesterol. They also exercised less and consumed more saturated fat. 

 “When physicians take care of women who have had hysterectomies, they need to be more attuned to the fact that these women may be prone to heart attack,” said Barbara V. Howard, Ph.D., lead author of the study and president of the MedStar Research Institute in Hyattsville, Md.

Hysterectomy is the most common surgical procedure for U.S. women.  An estimated one-third of U.S. women will undergo the procedure by age 65.

<http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3029581>

Daily Women's Health Policy

Public Health & Education | New York Times Examines Different Breast Cancer Screening Methods [Nov 01, 2005]

      The New York Times on Tuesday examined the different types of breast cancer screening methods -- including film and digital mammography, ultrasound and MRI scanning -- and whether a specific type of test is better for women with certain risk factors. Widespread annual film mammography screening of women ages 40 and older has contributed to much of the 24% drop in breast cancer-related deaths in the U.S. since 1990, according to a new analysis of national breast cancer statistics published in the Oct. 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. However, "film mammography is not perfect," and "none of the alternatives have yet been as thoroughly vetted in terms of lives saved," the Times reports. Data released in September by the National Cancer Institute showed that digital mammography is a better detection tool than traditional film mammography for women with dense breasts; women under age 50, despite breast density; and women of any age who were premenopausal or who had experienced at least one menstrual period within 12 months of her last mammogram. Researchers are designing clinical trials to further test ultrasound exams, which use sound waves to find abnormalities in breast tissue, and MRI screenings, which use a large magnet to track blood flow through the breast to distinguish healthy tissue from malignancies, to determine what groups of women might benefit most from those tests (Franklin, New York Times, 11/1).

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=33435

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