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Gov.
Blagojevich announces major expansion of Illinois Breast and
Cervical Cancer Program
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Expanded
program begins Oct. 1
[September 29, 2007]
CHICAGO -- Standing with cancer survivors,
doctors, advocates and legislators at Mercy Medical Center in
Chicago on Thursday, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich announced a major
expansion of the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program, making
Illinois the first state in the nation to make sure all women who
need access to potentially lifesaving cancer screenings and
treatment can get it. By expanding the program to all uninsured
women, Blagojevich makes it possible for 260,000 more women to
qualify for free cancer screenings and treatment, regardless of
income. As part of his new "Take Charge, Get Screened" campaign, the
governor made stops throughout the state Thursday to urge women to
take advantage of the newly available free screenings and treatments
to reduce breast and cervical cancer mortalities through early
detection and prompt treatment.
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 "Every woman in Illinois deserves access to the basic health
screenings and treatment that could save her life. Doctors tell us
that breast and cervical cancer, if detected early, can be treated
and stopped, but many women can't get the help they need because
they can't afford a mammogram or a Pap test. Now, regardless of
income, women in Illinois without health insurance have access to
regular screenings through the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer
Program," said Blagojevich. "And with the new Take Charge, Get
Screened campaign, we're going to aggressively reach out to women
and urge them to take time to get the preventative screenings that
could save their lives."The most recent statistics show that
8,604 women in Illinois were diagnosed with breast or cervical
cancer in 2003. That same year, 2,057 women in Illinois died from
breast or cervical cancer. It is estimated that almost 9,000 women
will be diagnosed with either breast or cervical cancer this year,
and approximately 1,700 will die. But, when breast cancer is
diagnosed early, the five-year survival rate is 98 percent.
Under the newly expanded program, the Illinois Breast and
Cervical Cancer Program will now offer free pelvic exams and Pap
tests to any uninsured women over the age of 35 and free breast
exams to any uninsured woman over the age of 40.
Joining the governor at Mercy Medical Center in Chicago to
advocate on behalf of women's health in Illinois were Debbie
Williams, R.N., representative of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer
Foundation; Jude Andrews, executive director of the Y-ME
Foundation-Illinois; and Dr. Clement Rose, president of the American
Cancer Society-Illinois.
"The expansion of the IBCCP program will help save thousands of
lives through prevention and early detection," said Debbie Williams
of the Komen Foundation and a breast cancer survivor. "I am very
proud to be from Illinois today as the governor is setting the
precedent for women's health for the rest of our nation."
"The women who are most vulnerable in our state are the
uninsured. This program will help relieve worry from women who don't
receive regular mammograms for fear of cost," said Andrews, of
Y-ME-Illinois. "Now all women in Illinois can take care of
themselves with greater freedom and ease."
Launched in 1995, the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer
Program, administered through the Illinois Department of Public
Health, has provided almost 183,000 screenings -- and more than
109,000 of those screenings have been provided since 2003 under the
Blagojevich administration. Before the expansion announced this
week, uninsured women qualified only if their incomes were under 250
percent of the federal poverty level, which is about $52,000 per
year for a family of four.
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Beginning Oct. 1, more than 260,000 more women will be eligible
for screening and treatment through the program. All uninsured women
between the ages of 40 and 64 will qualify for mammograms and breast
exams, and uninsured women between 35 and 64 will qualify for pelvic
exams and Pap tests. On a case-by-case basis, younger, symptomatic
women who meet the guidelines are considered for the program. The
screening program is free.
This is the third time Blagojevich has made changes to benefit
women in need of breast and cervical screenings. Previously, if a
woman was eligible for the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer
Program but was diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer outside of
the program, she was not eligible for treatment. But last year the
governor expanded the program to allow women who met eligibility
requirements but were diagnosed outside the program sites to go
straight into the free treatment program through the Department of
Healthcare and Family Services. This gave women more choices and
also avoided penalizing women who did not know about the program but
who were screened and diagnosed by their doctor, community health
center or other health care facility.
Uninsured women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer will
qualify for comprehensive healthcare coverage provided by Healthcare
and Family Services as long as they need treatment for breast or
cervical cancer. Women diagnosed with a pre-cancerous cervical
cancer condition who need follow-up diagnostic tests will also
qualify for HFS coverage to determine whether they actually have
breast or cervical cancer. Health care coverage will include doctor
visits, inpatient and outpatient hospital care, emergency services,
prescription drugs, and more. Women who need treatment will pay
modest co-payments for doctor visits, brand-name prescription drugs
and inpatient stays.
Women can find out how to get breast and cervical cancer
screening and treatment by visiting
www.cancerscreening.illinois.gov or by calling the Women's
Health-Line at 888-522-1282 or, for hearing-impaired use only,
800-547-0466 TTY. Information on the Illinois Breast and Cervical
Cancer Program and other women's health and programs is also
available at
www.idph.state.il.us.
[Text from file received from the
Illinois Office of Communication and Information]
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