The "SCREENS for Cancer Act of 2025" reauthorizes and expands the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, enhancing screening, follow-up, and support services to reduce disparities and improve early detection.
Joseph Morelle
Representative
NY-25
The "SCREENS for Cancer Act of 2025" reauthorizes and amends the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) to broaden its services, enhance support activities, and reduce disparities in cancer rates. It emphasizes prevention, detection, and control of breast and cervical cancer, ensuring alignment with evidence-based recommendations. The Act authorizes $235 million annually from 2026 through 2030 and requires a GAO study to assess the program's reach and identify barriers to access. Reporting frequency is adjusted to every 5 years and includes data on the preceding years.
Cancer Screening Program Gets $235M Boost: SCREENS Act Aims to Expand Early Detection for Underserved Women
This bill, the 'SCREENS for Cancer Act of 2025,' essentially gives a fresh coat of paint and a funding boost to a long-running federal program aimed at catching breast and cervical cancer early, especially for women who might otherwise fall through the cracks. It formally reauthorizes the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP), which has been around since the early 90s providing screenings for low-income, uninsured, and underinsured individuals. The key number here is the authorization of $235 million per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to keep this program running and potentially expand its reach.
More Than Just Screening: What's Getting Updated?
The Act isn't just about extending the program's life; it aims to modernize it. The focus shifts slightly to explicitly include prevention and control alongside detection. Think of it as moving beyond just finding cancer to actively trying to stop it before it starts and managing care better. Critically, the bill mandates enhanced support activities, like healthcare navigation, designed to help people actually get to their appointments and follow through on care – a big deal if you're juggling work, family, and transportation issues. It also requires that all screening and diagnostic services stick to evidence-based recommendations, ensuring folks get up-to-date, effective care.
Keeping Tabs: Funding and Accountability
With that $235 million annual authorization comes some oversight. Interestingly, the bill changes how the program reports its progress, moving from yearly updates to a report every 5 years (after an initial 2-year report). This could mean less frequent check-ins on how things are going. To get a clearer picture, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is tasked with delivering a study by September 30, 2027. This study will dig into how many people are actually eligible versus how many are being served, and importantly, what barriers are stopping people from getting screened – things like cost, lack of awareness, or difficulty accessing clinics.
The Bottom Line: What Does This Mean in the Real World?
At its core, the SCREENS Act is about strengthening a safety net for cancer detection. By renewing funding and adding elements like patient navigation and a focus on equity, the goal is to increase screening rates, diagnose cancers earlier (when they're often more treatable), and reduce the troubling disparities we see in cancer outcomes, particularly for women facing financial or logistical hurdles. The GAO study should provide valuable insights down the line on whether these changes are effectively reaching the people who need these services most.