More Texas women are eligible for breast and cervical cancer treatment through Medicaid under a new law that took effect September 1.
The Texas Legislature authorized the Health and Human Services Commission to expand eligibility for the special Medicaid program and approved $19.7 million in state funds to provide treatment to 1,200 more women each year. In addition to screening and diagnostic services, women who are diagnosed with one of the cancers through the program will receive full Medicaid benefits for the duration of their treatment.
The Breast and Cervical Cancer Program is open to uninsured women under 65 who are U.S. citizens or qualified immigrants. They also must be otherwise ineligible for Medicaid and have an individual income up to 200 percent of the federal proverty level, or $41,300 for a family of four.
The initial screening must be done by approved doctors and clinics, but the new guidelines mean many more screeners can participate. Under the new guidelines, a woman screened by any doctor or clinic approved for the program by the Texas Department of State Health Services may qualify for Medicaid-funded treatment. Before this expansion, the program was limited only to women who were screened in clinics funded by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Texas Breast and Cervical Cancer Program provided treatment services for 1,227 women in fiscal year 2007. Nearly 195,000 women in Texas have received free screenings for breast and cervical cancer since 1991 through the state program.
To find a breast and cervical cancer screening site that takes part in the state program, call 2-1-1 or visit www.dshs.state.tx.us/bcccs.
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