What will be the effects of cuts in breast cancer screening?
Sharon was devastated when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. At 42, the Brooklyn mother of two young girls had few resources to help her cope. Her only saving grace was that the cancer was caught before it had advanced. Early detection means she, hopefully, will remain cancer free and her daughters will have their mom. Screening for cancer saves lives. That’s the good news. The bad news is that New York has recently decided to deny screening to thousands of women like Sharon. Why would reasonable politicians do something that seems so cruel and unfair? It happened by stealth. In this year’s budget, the state government cut $8.3 million from the New York Cancer Services Program Partnerships – programs offering lifesaving cancer screening for un- and underinsured New Yorkers. Last year, the program screened 80,500 New Yorkers. This year, the funding has been cut nearly 30%, from $29 million to $20.7 million. In response, the state Department of Health issued guidelines mandating that
