Breast & Cervical Cancer Treatment Program
On June 11, 2001 Governor Locke signed legislation (2SHB 1058) that allows Washington to expand Categorically Needy (CN) Medicaid coverage to many women with breast or cervical cancer. The Puget Sound Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation is partnering with the state by donating funds to help Washington implement this program.
To be eligible, a woman must be identified as needing treatment through Department of Health Department's (DOH) Breast and Cervical Cancer Health Program (BCHP) and by the National Breast And Cervical Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) funded by Center for Disease Control (CDC). President Clinton signed The Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-354) into law October 2000, allowing for this new optional coverage group.
The BCHP and the NBCCEDP provide breast and cervical cancer screening services to low income women. Until now, women diagnosed with cancer through these programs had limited options for obtaining treatment.
But now, women can receive CN Medicaid if they:
- Have been screened by the BCHP and the NBCCEDP; and
- Require treatment; and
- Don't have other insurance.
The Health and Recovery Services Administration's Medical Eligibility Determination Services (MEDS) will process these applications and will coordinate with the DOH BCHP and the CDC-funded program.
We want to stress that access to this new Medicaid program is only through the Department of Health's Breast and Cervical Cancer Health Program and CDC-funded Breast and Cervical Early Detection program. Only women who have been screened by this program and need treatment are eligible for this CN coverage.
For information about how to get screened, check the BCHP website.
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