Planned Parenthood of the Southwest President and CEO, Darrah DiGiorgio Johnson, met with Senator Toni Atkins last week to announce Atkin’s authorship of SB 945: a repeal of breast and cervical cancer treatment caps.
“On behalf of the over 850,000 patients that rely on Planned Parenthood for their health care, I am proud to be here to thank Senator Atkins for her work on this important bill that will remove barriers and ensure that patients get the care they need,” Darrah said.
Under current law, the State can provide women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer comprehensive health care coverage through Medicaid until the end of their treatment. But in California, the law limits coverage to 18 months for breast cancer and 24 months for cervical cancer, regardless of medical need.
This bill removes that arbitrary treatment cap.
“Treatment of cancer should be a guarantee, and breast cancer and cervical cancer should not be treated differently. Cancer is unpredictable, and patients should not fear losing access to treatment due to an arbitrary time cap,” Darrah said. “After detection, it is important that our health centers can ensure patients they have a place to turn to for ongoing treatment.”
Through funding from Title X and Medi-Cal, Planned Parenthood has made strides in early detection of breast and cervical cancer.
“This funding will increase access to care for uninsured and underinsured patients,” Darrah said. “We are proud to support this important bill that makes health care more accessible for people in California.”
Thank you Senator Atkins, for all your work and all you do for our communities!
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