Senators Baldwin, Collins Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Ensure More Americans Can Access Lifesaving Cancer Screenings

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) re-introduced their bipartisan Screening for Communities to Receive Early and Equitable Needed Services (SCREENS) for Cancer Act to reauthorize the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP), a lifesaving program that provides breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services for women who are low-income, uninsured, and underinsured who do not qualify for Medicaid.

“Nearly every American’s life has been touched by a devastating cancer diagnosis, and early detection is one of the best tools we have to save lives. No Wisconsinite should miss regular screenings because of cost,” said Senator Baldwin. “That’s why I’m proud to lead this legislation with my Republican colleague to help detect cancers earlier, save lives, and ensure more Americans get the care they need at a price they can afford.”

“Cancer prevention and screening programs are vital because the earlier the disease is caught, the better the prognosis,” said Senator Collins. “The NBCCEDP provides thousands of uninsured and underinsured Mainers with breast and cervical cancer screening, diagnostic, and treatment services each year. Our bipartisan legislation would reauthorize and strengthen this critical program, which has helped nearly 4,000 women in Maine receive a total of 8,198 screening tests over the past five years.”

An estimated 319,750 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer and nearly 43,000 will die from the disease this year alone. Since 1991, the NBCCEDP, a partnership between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state departments of health, has provided lifesaving breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services to more than six million women who are low-income, uninsured and underinsured who do not qualify for Medicaid.

NBCCEDP has a proven record of cancer detection, detecting nearly 80,000 breast cancers and over 25,000 premalignant breast lesions. The program also provides public education, outreach, patient navigation, and care coordination to increase breast and cervical cancer screening rates and reach underserved populations. Without access to early detection programs, many people who are uninsured are forced to delay or forgo screenings, which could lead to late-stage breast cancer diagnoses.

The SCREENS for Cancer Act would reauthorize the NBCCEDP for the first time in more than a decade to help ensure that the program reaches more eligible women. This reauthorization would provide flexibility to NBCCEDP grantees, allowing for a greater emphasis on implementing innovative evidence-based interventions and aggressive outreach to underserved communities through media, peer educators, and patient navigators. The bill authorizes $235 million per year for FY26 through FY30.

This legislation is co-sponsored by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV).

The SCREENS for Cancer Act is endorsed by the Alliance for Women’s Health and Prevention, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Indian Cancer Foundation, Brem Foundation to Defeat Breast Cancer, Cancer Support Community, Check for a Lump, FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, Men Supporting Women with Cancer, NAACP, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, National Consortium of Breast Centers, Oncology Nursing Society, Prevent Cancer Foundation, SHARE Cancer Support, Society of Breast Imaging, Susan G. Komen, Tigerlily Foundation, Triage Cancer, Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation, and Young Survival Coalition.

“Everyone should be able to get the breast health care they need when they need it, but barriers remain for far too many—the SCREENS for Cancer Act can change that,” said Molly Guthrie, VP of Policy & Advocacy at Susan G. Komen. “To support healthier communities across the country, we must make high-quality screening and diagnosis more readily available to those who need it. This bill will provide access to vital services so that cancers can be caught earlier.”

“Reducing the cancer burden for everyone requires improving access to cancer early detection and prevention services,” said Lisa A. Lacasse, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. “By reauthorizing the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, the SCREENS for Cancer Act will ensure that program grantees can continue to receive critical resources and maintain the flexibility needed to provide access to lifesaving screening, diagnostic and treatment services to those who need them most.”

A one-pager on this legislation is available here. Full text of this bill is available here.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.