Norton Seeks to Eliminate D.C.'s Leading Rank in Prostate Cancer (7/27/07)

Washington, DC--Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced the Prostate Cancer Medicaid Coverage Act of 2007, a bill to allow Medicaid funds to be used for the treatment of low-income men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer through federal screening programs, just as legislation passed in 1999 for breast cancer treatment of low-income women allows the same benefits to women who would not otherwise qualify for Medicaid (earning up to 250% percent of the poverty level). The District has the highest incidence and death rates from prostate cancer in the nation compared to rates in all states, according to the latest figures. For every 100,000 prostate cancer victims in the District, 635 men will have the disease and 299 will die as a result. That compares to an incidence rate of 562 and a death rate of 243 in the United States. Moreover, prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer occurring in the United States among men other than skin cancer. Prostate cancer also is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men and women behind lung cancer. More than a half million prostate cancer deaths will occur in the United States this year, including more than 1,000 in the District, according to the American Cancer Society. Prostate cancer is particularly widespread here in the District and among Black men nationwide. Major risk factors for prostate cancer include age, a family history of certain cancers, use of tobacco, eating habits, obesity, lack of exercise, exposure to radiation or other cancer-causing agents, and certain genetic changes.

The Norton prostate cancer bill mirrors a law that Congress enacted in 1999 to help low-income women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer who were otherwise ineligible for Medicaid. After the 1990 Breast and Cervical Cancer Mortality Prevention Act was enacted, Congress recognized that this screening legislation had the tragic but unintended consequence of uncovering a serious disease that demanded immediate treatment but leaving women without the means to seek that treatment. Consequently, Congress amended Title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide medical assistance for the women screened and found to have breast or cervical cancer through a federally funded screening program. Congresswoman Norton's bill does the same for men found to have prostate cancer.

"With the Prostate Cancer Medicaid Coverage Act, I am seeking to provide equal access to men in the same bracket as women achieved in the breast cancer treatment bill Congress passed in 1999," Norton said. Prostate cancer is much more widespread than breast cancer, and is particularly serious among African American men. Yet, prostate cancer is easier and less expensive to diagnose and treat than breast cancer.

Many prostate cancer cases can be diagnosed with a simple Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test rather than a high technology mammography machine. Many men are advised to wait and watch for the development of the disease before seeking any treatment at all. "However, the rate of cancer deaths coupled with available treatment is strong evidence that many lives could be saved for considerably less expense if early detection and treatment were more available," Norton said.

Although race is a factor, experts say every man over the age of 50 is at risk of developing prostate cancer and should be screened. Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange also are at higher risk. Many doctors recommend annual screening for men over 50, and some advise men who are at a higher risk for prostate cancer to begin screening at age 40 or 45. Many Black men are at highest risk of prostate cancer, which tends to start at younger ages and to grow faster than in men of other races. Currently, Medicaid provides coverage for an annual PSA test for all men 50 and older, but low-income men who do not meet the Medicaid income requirements cannot be treated. Norton's bill would close the treatment gap for lower income men of all ages who fall through the cracks because they are not eligible for Medicaid or Medicare and cannot afford private insurance.