Federal Legislation Update As we all know, very little legislative work was accomplished during last year’s 105th session of Congress. Politicians are often quick to verbalize their support of breast cancer, but in 1998 many opportunities were missed. Legislation that could have provided funding for low-income women diagnosed with breast cancer, prohibited discrimination based on genetic information, and guaranteed insurance coverage for participation in clinical trials never gained momentum. Many members of Congress worked hard, however, to support breast cancer issues and three important pieces of legislation did pass:
							• The Mammography Quality Standards Act was re-authorized (see Winter 1999 Newsletter). • The Department of Defense’s Peer-Reviewed Breast Cancer Research program was funded at $135 million. • Health insurance agencies will be required to cover the cost of breast reconstruction after mastectomy surgery.
					The biggest disappointment of 1998 was the failure of The Breast and Cervical Cancer Act of 1998, which was not even voted on but could have provided guaranteed Medicaid coverage (at a cost of $20 million) to uninsured women screened and diagnosed through the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. Imagine being diagnosed with breast cancer by a federal or state program with no money for treating you.
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						HR254 Mammography Screening Act of 1999 Requires screening coverage under private insurers, Medicare and Medicaid. S 117 Improved Patient Access to Clinical Studies Act of 1999 This bill amends the Employment Retirement Income Securities Act (ERISA) of 1999 and prevents group health plans from denying coverage for clinical trials. ERISA covers government employees. NCI is also working with different branches of government such as Medicare, the Veterans Administration, and United Health Care, encouraging them to cover clinical trial pilot programs. Department of Defense (DoD) Peer-Reviewed Breast Cancer Reasearch: We have been urging House and Senate signatures to a letter of support for DOD Breast Cancer Research Program funding at $175 million.
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