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Medicaid Coverage

States can exercise their option under the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 20001 to provide full Medicaid benefits to uninsured women under age 65 who were screened through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program2 and who are in need of treatment. States receive enhanced federal matching funds for the provision of these services.

States may, at their option, continue special Medicaid programs for breast and cervical cancer patients. Also, every woman--regardless of whether she is receiving cancer treatment--with family incomes up to 133% of the Federal Poverty Level or FPL (that's about $14,440 for a single person or $29,000 for a family of four) will be eligible for the full Medicaid benefit package by 2014. Women in families earning between 133% and 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (that's between $14,404 and $43,320 per year for a single person) will be eligible for subsidies to help pay health insurance premiums and out-of-pockets costs starting in 2014.  These subsidies can be used for coverage purchased through new state-based "Health Insurance Exchanges."

Has the state exercised the basic option to provide Medicaid coverage for breast and cervical cancer treatment?

States that have enacted legislation, approved funding for the policy, or had a plan federally approved receive a "meets policy."  Those that have not completed any of these three steps receive a "no policy."

State Strength of Policy Change from 2007
Alabama Meets Policy Same
Alaska Meets Policy Same
Arizona Meets Policy Same
Arkansas Meets Policy Same
California Meets Policy Same
Colorado Meets Policy Same
Connecticut Meets Policy Same
Delaware Meets Policy Same
District of Columbia Meets Policy Same
Florida Meets Policy Same
Georgia Meets Policy Same
Hawaii Meets Policy Same
Idaho Meets Policy Same
Illinois Meets Policy Same
Indiana Meets Policy Same
Iowa Meets Policy Same
Kansas Meets Policy Same
Kentucky Meets Policy Same
Louisiana Meets Policy Same
Maine Meets Policy Same
Maryland Meets Policy Same
Massachusetts Meets Policy Same
Michigan Meets Policy Same
Minnesota Meets Policy Same
Mississippi Meets Policy Same
Missouri Meets Policy Same
Montana Meets Policy Same
Nebraska Meets Policy Same
Nevada Meets Policy Same
New Hampshire Meets Policy Same
New Jersey Meets Policy Same
New Mexico Meets Policy Same
New York Meets Policy Same
North Carolina Meets Policy Same
North Dakota Meets Policy Same
Ohio Meets Policy Same
Oklahoma Meets Policy Same
Oregon Meets Policy Same
Pennsylvania Meets Policy Same
Rhode Island Meets Policy Same
South Carolina Meets Policy Same
South Dakota Meets Policy Same
Tennessee Meets Policy Same
Texas Meets Policy Same
Utah Meets Policy Same
Vermont Meets Policy Same
Virginia Meets Policy Same
Washington Meets Policy Same
West Virginia Meets Policy Same
Wisconsin Meets Policy Same
Wyoming Meets Policy Same

Policy Indicator Counts
Meets Policy: 
51
Limited Policy: 
0
Weak Policy: 
0
No/Harmful Policy: 
0
Better: 
0
Same: 
51
Worse: 
0

Data Source: Government Accountability Office, Report to Congressional Requesters, “Medicaid: Source of Screening Affects Women’s Eligibility for Coverage of Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment in Some States,” May 2009, available at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09384.pdf, accessed September 8, 2010.

Footnotes

1 The Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act gives states the option of providing Medicaid coverage to low-income women screened and diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program.  42 U.S.C. § 300n (1993).

2 The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program provides free breast and cervical cancer screening and follow-up diagnostic services to uninsured or low-income women, but does not provide treatment to those found to have either disease. Breast and Cervical Cancer Mortality Prevention Act, 42 U.S.C. § 300k (2007).

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