New bill could significantly expand coverage of certain treatments Medicaid.

HR 10058, the Medicaid Breast Cancer Access to Treatment Act, was introduced by Rep. Maxine Waters, a California Democrat. If adopted, it will update the Social Security Law require coverage for certain people with breast or cervical cancer under the Medicaid program.

Waters is also pushing for a new law that would require patients to hear certain information about breast reconstruction surgery under the Medicare program if they have a mastectomy.

“Congresswoman Waters has been recognized in the past for her hard work to increase access to breast cancer health care, and these latest two bills expand that record,” said Alex Beene, professor of literacy. in finance at the University of Tennessee at Martin. , said News week.

“One bill would require coverage for certain people with breast or cervical cancer under Medicaid, and the other would require the provision of certain information regarding breast reconstruction surgery under Medicare.

“Both of these measures are steps in the right direction. Making care more accessible under the two federal programs will provide access to many people who currently don’t have it.”

By expanding Medicaid eligibility to include people with breast and cervical cancer, the bill would provide new access to Medicaid for cancer patients, said financial expert Kevin Thompson and founder and CEO of 9i Capital Group. But there are some financing problems.

“Expanding eligibility would require additional funding and support from Congress to avoid straining the Medicaid system,” Thompson said. News week. “Without sufficient funding, the addition of new treatments and beneficiaries could create budgetary challenges, potentially affecting the overall quality and availability of Medicaid services. »

Thompson said there is a good chance the bill will pass, given bipartisan support for access to cancer care. But it would have to obtain the approval of the House and the Senateand the question of funding could ultimately make or break the proposal.

A recent study published in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network found that Medicaid expansion is closely linked to improved survival rates for stage 3 breast cancer patients.

For those in states that expanded Medicaid, the two-year survival rate increased from 93.9 percent to 95 percent.

Medicaid has largely undergone a period of change since the continued enrollment requirement was abandoned following the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 23 million Americans were excluded from government-provided health coverage when ongoing pandemic coverage ended. This unwinding process eliminated many people who no longer met the financial requirements to receive benefits, but many were also excluded due to a change of address or failure to meet an application deadline.

“Significant declines in Medicaid enrollees are surprising, but the reality is that there could be multiple factors, both good and bad, playing a role in this decline,” Beene said previously. News week. “In some states, the economy is operating with near-record unemployment rates, which means fewer people could qualify.”