Press Releases

Congresswomen Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), and Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) and U.S. Senators David Vitter (R-La.) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) today called on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to oppose recommendations from the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) that would make it more difficult for women to receive annual breast cancer screenings.

“As a young survivor of breast cancer who was diagnosed at age 41, I am a living testament to the importance of breast cancer awareness in young women. It is imperative that no one limits the insurance coverage of preventative options for young women, especially if they have an elevated risk. While mammograms are not the only important part of preventative coverage, they play a vital role in detecting cancer in young women, in whom it is most deadly, and in raising breast health awareness,” Rep. Wasserman Schultz said.

“As a wife and mom of two daughters, I am extremely concerned about the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s draft recommendation to limit insurance coverage of mammograms for women between 40-49 years old. When the government is making the calls on what must be covered – not the patient or doctor – patients find their care rationed and their choices limited – this time among women under 50.  When 1 in 8 women will develop invasive breast cancer in her lifetime, it is imperative we put the patients in the driver’s seat of their health care choices – not the government,” said Rep. McMorris Rodgers.

“Far too few women receive mammograms at all. Women and their doctors need the ability to make the best decisions according to their individual needs and risk factors. Mammography is not perfect, but right now it is the best method we have to detect and treat breast cancer. I strongly urge the USPSTF to take the benefits of prevention into consideration before issuing their final recommendation,” said Rep. DeLauro.

“My wife Wendy lost her mother to breast cancer when she was just 6. Her loss serves as a continual reminder to our family, including our three daughters, of the real threat of this disease,” Senator Vitter said. “Given the widespread risk of breast cancer, we shouldn’t let bureaucrats in Washington limit access to prevention and early detection resources. These decisions should be left to women and their doctors.”

“As a breast cancer survivor, I personally understand the importance of preventive care to make sure more women can avert this disease or at least detect it early on,” said Senator Heitkamp. “Over the past several decades, deaths from breast cancer have dropped dramatically because of early detection through cancer screenings. We can save even more lives by making sure every woman has access to affordable coverage that includes breast screenings without copay.”

On April 20, 2015 the USPSTF released draft recommendations to discourage biennial screening mammography for women ages 40 to 49. Similar recommendations made in 2009 received widespread criticism from patient advocates and medical experts including the American Cancer Society, the American College of Radiology, and the American College of Obstetricians. Rep. Wasserman Schultz joined U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) and a coalition of cancer groups to prevent the 2009 USPSFTF recommendations from negatively impacting insurance coverage for breast cancer screenings for women in their forties.

In 2009, Rep. Wasserman Schultz authored the Breast Health Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act, or the EARLY Act, which created an education and outreach campaign administered by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to highlight the breast cancer risks facing young women and women of higher-risk ethnic backgrounds. President Obama signed the EARLY Act into law in 2010. In 2014, Rep. Wasserman Schultz and Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) led the House legislation to reauthorize the EARLY Act and Senators Vitter and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) passed the companion Senate legislation.

The text of the letter to HHS is below.

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May 6, 2015

The Honorable Sylvia Mathews Burwell

Secretary

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

200 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20201

Dear Secretary Burwell:

As strong supporters of women’s health, we are committed to protecting access to breast cancer screening to minimize the impact of this deadly disease. According to National Cancer Institute data, the U.S. breast cancer death rate has dropped 35 percent since mammography screening became widespread in the mid-1980s.

On April 20, 2015 the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released draft recommendations proposing a major change in the approach to breast cancer screening. The USPSTF essentially re-stated their 2009 recommendation by assigning a “C” grade for biennial screening mammography for women ages 40 to 49, which can be interpreted as advising against screening in this age group and limit life-saving early detection. Additionally, the USPSTF proposed a “B” grade to only biennial screening mammography for women ages 50 to 74 years.

The 2009 recommendations received widespread criticism from patient advocates and medical experts, and organizations including the American Cancer Society (ACS), the American College of Radiology, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists went as far as to advise physicians and patients to ignore the recommendation. Subsequently, a provision was signed into law that was meant to prevent the 2009 USPSTF recommendation from going into effect.

If the draft recommendations which were released on April 20th  are finalized, women ages 40 to 49 who choose routine screening, and those 50 to 74 who want to be screened annually may encounter issues finding an insurance plan which provides this level of coverage, or at the very least be forced to pay more for this added benefit.  The impact of impaired access to breast cancer screening would affect all U.S. women, particularly those in underserved communities who are hardest hit by the disease.

In its explanation, the USPSTF concluded that “some women in their 40s will benefit from mammography… while others will be harmed.” The panel said those hurt include the effect of exposure to radiation from multiple tests and the stress of over-diagnosis on the patient.  This highlights the importance of individualized assessment of risk factors, and what a woman and her physician decide is the best screening option for her. Lack of coverage for mammograms as a screening tool could take away this choice from some patients for accessing the care they need. As Members of Congress concerned about the impact of breast cancer, we believe (and many experts agree) that delayed detection and treatment have a far worse outcome than the harm USPTSTF has laid out.

While we acknowledge these are draft, not final, recommendations, years of science and medicine have shown that appropriate screening can lead to early detection and save lives. We urge the USPSTF to take into consideration the benefits of prevention, keep in mind the thousands of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer in their 40s, and not jeopardize access to these screenings.

Sincerely,

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Contact:

Sean Bartlett/Geoff Burgan (Wasserman Schultz) 202-225-7931

Riva Litman (McMorris Rodgers) 202-225-5107

Sara Lonardo (DeLauro) 202-225-3661

Blair Ellis (Ellmers) 202-225-4531

Lindsay Bembenek (Vitter) 202-224-4623

Abbie McDonough/Julia Krieger (Heitkamp) 202-224-8898