Plan Would Help Poor Fight Cancer

WASHINGTON —  President Clinton proposed helping states eliminate the barriers poor women face in fighting breast or cervical cancer, saying Saturday that he wants them to have access to the “medical miracles of our time.”

In his weekly radio address, Clinton proposed a $220-million, five-year program to allow states to provide full Medicaid benefits to women whose cancers are detected through federally funded screening programs.

“Too often uninsured women face a patchwork of care, inadequate care or no care at all,” the president said. “Many are denied new or better forms of treatment, or wait months to see a doctor.”

Clinton said breast and cervical cancer can be cured if caught early and treated aggressively. But he said that of the 180,000 women diagnosed with such cancers each year, more than 40,000 die.

Overall, an estimated 2 million women will be diagnosed with either breast or cervical cancer this decade, and about 500,000 will die from the diseases.

“At a time when we know more about cancer than ever and can fight it better than ever, we must not leave women to face cancer alone,” Clinton said.

Under Clinton’s proposal, uninsured women would receive Medicaid coverage for the duration of their treatment, meaning radiation treatment, chemotherapy and other services.

The five-year survival rate is 97% when the diseases are diagnosed early, but that rate falls to 21% after the cancer has spread.

Clinton urged Congress to act quickly, saying his proposal has significant bipartisan support because it “transcends political boundaries.”

John R. Seffrin, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society, called for quick action on the proposal and said: “The bottom line is that this proposal can be a lifesaver for many women.”