Cancer screenings are now being reduced due to budget cuts, thanks to the recession.
Michael Siler, Director of Government Relations at the American Cancer Society Utah, said it is because funding for free screenings are going away.
“The funding for the breast and cervical cancer programs that provide free screenings are not being provided, and that is not good because the early stage of breast and cervical cancer cannot be detected due to people not getting screened,” Siler said.
Siler also said that breast cancer is the number one killer of women in the state of Utah.
Insurance will also affect the amount of people that can get screened. Before the budget cuts, anyone could go and get a free screening. Now, citizens must pay a co-pay to receive a screening.
“The centers apply really high co-pays for screenings. If it was a 50 percent co-pays for a colonoscopy, people would need to pay $3,500, which no one can afford,” Siler said. “The healthcare proposals in Washington, D.C. would help significantly and positively with this. The House of Representatives and the Senate would eliminate the co-pay, and the insurance would pay for everything.”
By reducing cancer screenings, not only will breast and cervical cancer have a less chance of being detected, but lung and colorectal (also known as colon) cancer would not be detected early. According to Siler, lung cancer is found in both male and females at the age of 35 or older, breast cancer is found in females 40 or older, cervical cancer is found in females 30 and older, and colorectal is found in male and females 50 and older.
Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will still provide screenings for children for cancers such as leukemia, although CHIP services end at the age of 18.
“Leukemia is more of a diagnostic procedure, but CHIP will still help with it,” Siler said.
According to the Salt Lake Valley Health Department website (www.slvhealth.org), the health department Women’s Services provides free and low-cost breast and cervical cancer screenings to women ages 40 to 64.
For more information about cancer screenings, cancer in general, or to find an office in the area, visit The American Cancer Society website (www.cancer.org).