Breast, Cervical Cancer Screening, Treatment Coverage For Uninsured Illinois Women Expanded

Uninsured Illinois Women

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) on Thursday at Mercy Medical Center in Chicago announced a plan to expand the Illinois Department of Public Health's Breast and Cervical Cancer Program to cover breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment for up to 260,000 additional uninsured women in the state, the Chicago Tribune reports (Garcia et al., Chicago Tribune,9/28). The program provides eligible women between ages 40 and 64 withmammograms and breast exams at no cost and it offers eligible womenbetween ages 35 and 64 no-cost pelvic exams and Pap tests.

Blagojevichin May 2006 announced an increase of the income eligibility limit forthe program from 200% to 250% of the federal poverty level (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report,9/21/06). Blagojevich on Thursday said the expanded program willprovide no-cost mammograms and breast cancer treatment to all uninsuredwomen ages 40 and older, as well as no-cost pelvic exams, Pap tests andcervical cancer treatment to uninsured women ages 35 and older, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The program will include a public awareness campaign (Ritter, Chicago Sun-Times, 9/28). According to the Tribune, the expansion will take effect Oct. 1.

Funding

It was unclear Thursday how the program, which at full capacity will cost about $50 million annually, will be funded, the Tribune reports (Chicago Tribune,9/28). Blagojevich said the expansion would be funded with savings fromhis recent vetoes of "pork barrel projects and other special interestspending." Blagojevich vetoed more than 1,500 projects and programs --including health programs that aim to prevent autism, HIV, Alzheimer'sdisease and pandemic flu -- amounting to $463 million.

SteveBrown, a spokesperson for state House Speaker Michael Madigan (D), saidthe House likely will override the vetoes next week. Even if the vetoesare sustained in the House and Senate, Blagojevich could not use thesavings to fund the program, Brown said, adding, that the Legislaturemust give the governor authority to spend the funds (Chicago Sun-Times,9/28). Blagojevich spokesperson Abby Ottenhoff said the programprimarily would be supported by an additional $1.75 million set asidein the budget for public health.

Some health careadvocates lauded the expansion and said that it might increase thenumber of providers willing to screen uninsured women. "You're going tosee more hospitals saying, 'Now that women are covered, they can cometo my hospital because we know their diagnostic work-ups will becovered, and if they need treatment, that will be covered too," DonnaThompson -- CEO of Access Community Health Network, which operates 48 clinics and is one of the agencies for the program -- said (Chicago Tribune, 9/28).
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