- Share This Post
- Pin It
- 0
-
Sparkle (0)
I wanted to share with you a proposal I unveiled today regarding women's health, which has been part of the cornerstone of my legislative record for over 10 years.
This morning I announced that when I go to Congress, I will do for all women in America what I did for women here in Illinois - and that's to require insurance companies to cover routine mammograms for all women 40 and older. Mammography is hands down the best available method to detect breast cancer in its earliest, most treatable form, but issues of access continue to serve as barriers for low-income women and women of color. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), annual mammography for women 40 and up can reduce mortality by 20 to 25 percent over 10 years. I just wanted to take a minute to share with you some information about this really important issue because my passion for increasing access to healthcare in general (and issues of women's health in particular!) is what drives my public service.
More information, the full press release, and our new ad talking about this issue after the jump.
Click here to see our new TV spot.
If you have any personal stories about yourself or other women in your life who had their breast cancer detected thanks to a mammogram, please post that story below so we can share them with others - when I get to Washington, I'm going to use these stories, and many others I've assembled, to help make the case for my proposal.
* * *
**RELEASE** - Feigenholtz: Require Insurance Companies to Cover Mammograms
Sara successfully fought insurance companies to cover annual mammograms for women over 40 in IL; pledges to do same in Congress to cover all women in the U.S.
Chicago, IL - State Representative Sara Feigenholtz, a candidate to replace Rahm Emanuel in Illinois' fifth congressional district, pledged today that in Congress she will fight to pass federal legislation requiring insurance companies to cover routine, annual mammograms for all women 40 and over. As the leading voice on health care expansion and reform in Springfield, Sara successfully fought to require insurance companies to cover routine mammograms for women 40 and over in Illinois.
Flanked by Oncologists and women who have survived breast cancer, Feigenholtz unveiled her proposal today at a press conference.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, annual mammograms for women 40 and over can reduce mortality rates by 20 to 25 percent over 10 years. Nationally, we spend over $8.4 billion a year to treat breast cancer.
"Expanding access to mammograms for all women over 40 is cost efficient for our health care system and, simply put, saves women's lives," Feigenholtz said. "This is why I am announcing today that when I go to Congress, I will do for all women in America what I did for women here in Illinois - and that's to require insurance companies to cover routine mammograms for all women 40 and over."
Dr. Janet Phillips, a breast oncology nurse researcher with the University of Chicago, said Feigenholtz's proposal would reduce the breast cancer mortality rate for women 40 and over.
"As a breast oncology nurse researcher, I can tell you that Sara's plan would literally save women's lives," Phillips said. "And, Sara has already helped save lives when she forced insurance companies here in Illinois to cover mammograms because she wouldn't take no for an answer. With 97 percent of breast cancer deaths occurring with women over 40, we cannot afford to wait another day to make this happen."
Currently, only 20 states, including Illinois, require insurance companies to cover mammograms for women 40 and over. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention also report that timely screening can reduce the mortality rates of women over 40 by anywhere from 17%-30%.
Judy Moses, whose own breast cancer was discovered during a mammogram in her 40s, expressed the urgency of expanding access to mammograms to all women 40 and over.
"The clock is ticking for millions of women and I'm confident that, just as she was able to lead the fight to require insurance companies in Illinois to cover annual mammograms for women over 40, she can get it done in Washington," said Moses.
In the end, Feigenholtz said her motivation was clear.
"Getting insurance companies to become paying partners in expanding mammogram and early detection services is cost-efficient, it's sound public policy and more importantly, it's the right thing to do," said