Legislation life-saving for underinsured women

The following editorial appeared Thursday in the Aberdeen Daily World.

Washington state has the highest rate of breast cancer in the nation, according to the latest statistics from the American Cancer Society.

Grays Harbor has one of the lowest breast cancer-incidence rates in the state, 28th out of 39 counties, but the death rate from breast cancer here is far more telling. It’s right at the alarming state average, 24 deaths per 100,000 women.

The incidence rate in Pacific County is 33rd out of the state’s 39 counties, but the death rate is the eighth highest at 27 per 100,000 women.

The good news around the state is that mortality rates have declined as more women now receive mammograms than did in the past.

The bad news is that women who did not graduate from high school or have a household income below $20,000 a year are much less likely to have access to mammography or understand its life-saving benefits.

Two bills now pending in the state Legislature can make a major difference. Senate Bill 5714 and House Bill 1738 will ensure access to breast and cervical cancer screening for women with limited incomes and no health insurance through the Washington Breast and Cervical Health Program.

The program provides breast and cervical screening and diagnostic services to women ages 40-64 who are uninsured or underinsured and are at or below 250 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.

Program participants diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer have immediate access to treatment through Medicaid treatment programs. This access is critical to reducing mortality rates and eliminating the disparities of these diseases in women on the Twin Harbors and throughout the state.

Early diagnosis of cancer means a much higher five-year survival rate.

Mammography and Pap tests could prevent approximately 15 percent to 30 percent of deaths from breast cancer among women over the age of 40 and nearly all deaths from cervical cancer.

We urge our legislators to support these bills and to continue to fully fund this important program.