Each year CABCO works with the California legislature on legislation that will make a difference in the lives of those affected by breast cancer.
This year CABCO supports Assembly Bill 1640, authored by Assemblymember Noreen Evans.
Background: In 1991 CABCO members worked with Assemblymember Barbara Friedman and achieved the passage of a two cent tax on each package of cigarettes. One cent of this tax went to support screening for breast cancer and, combined with federal funding for screening from the Breast and Cervical Cancer Program, created the Every Woman Counts (EWC) program. This California program provided breast cancer screening for underserved women with inadequate insurance who were under 200% of the poverty level. This program covered annual mammograms for women over 40 years of age. As the program has succeeded and more and more women are screened by the program, the funding has become inadequate.
On January 1, 2010 the Department of Public Health revised the eligibility reqirements for the program, changing them to allow screening for only those women over 50 years of age who have already been screened by the program.
AB 1640: This bill originally restored the eligibiity requirement to that which was in effect on December 31, 2009, annual mammograms for those women over age 40, and provided adequate funding for this program
Status: AB 1640 has been passed by both the Assembly and the Senate and has now been sent on to the Governor. However, it has undergone several rounds of ammendments that have removed all funding and eligibility requirements. It now contains reporting requirements before further changes are made in the program. Click on the following link to see the final version of the bill: AB 1640
The funding will now be a part of the Budget process. The Budget Conference Committee has included $20.1 million for the EWC program in its current recommendation. CABCO is continuing to work to have adequate funding to support the Every Woman Counts Program.