Connecticut Breast Cancer Coalition State Legislative Advocacy

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How Connecticut’s Elected Officials Voted on Breast Cancer

NBCC Federal Legislative Priorities for 2004

Current Initiatives

CBCC STATE LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY

2006

HB 5233 AN ACT INCREASING FUNDING FOR BREAST AND CERVICAL CANCER DETECTION AND SCREENING
Public hearing on the bill on Friday, March 3 at 9 AM at the Legislative Office Building, Hartford Room 1D. To provide increased funding for breast and cervical cancer detection and treatment. Introduced by: Rep. Roberta B. Willis, 64th District.

2001

In the 2001 General Assembly session, the Connecticut Breast Cancer Coalition had two breast cancer legislative priority issues: coverage for treatment for those diagnosed under the CDC Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program and coverage for routine patient care costs for those participating in cancer clinical trials. We were successful on both counts.

SB 325 AN ACT CONCERNING HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE DURING CLINICAL TRIALS - Passed
This bill originally provided for health insurance coverage of routine patient care costs of those participating in cancer clinical trials. The original bill was amended to also include health insurers to cover pap smears test, colorectal cancer screening, expanded mammogram coverage by requiring coverage of an annual mammogram beginning at age 40 instead of 50, and provide coverage for hearing aids for children twelve years of age or younger.

HB 6709 AN ACT CONCERNING MEDICAL CARE FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST OR CERVICAL CANCER - Passed
After six years of supporting treatment coverage for those diagnosed with breast cancer under the CDC Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, CBCC’s efforts along with those organizations that came on board over the years, finally came to fruition. We thank Governor John G. Rowland for his implementer bill, which provided the catalyst for this year’s legislation and to Lieutenant Governor M. Jodi Rell for championing this cause from the beginning. Thank you to the legislators who stuck with us over the years and helped expand that support throughout the legislature.

2000

During the 2000 session of the General Assembly, we focused again on legislation which would provide funding for those women diagnosed with cancer under the CDC Breast and Cervical Cancer Program. Finally, after a battle that had lasted since our first legislative advocacy attempt in 1995, we made some headway. This bill was made part of a larger piece of legislation, HB5911 The Department of Public Health implementer bill, which included in its language, provisions for treatment of those diagnosed with cancer under the CDC Breast and Cervical Cancer Program. Although no funding was provided in the budget for this, the legislation makes it possible to accept federal, private and public monies for this purpose. Hopefully, the federal legislation for treatment that is pending will pass and money will be provided. We must continue to press our legislatures to provide funding in the state budget.

Asked by the Connecticut Cancer Pain Initiative group to promote cancer pain management legislation, we joined forces with them and saw SB406: AN ACT CONCERNING PAIN MANAGEMENT introduced and raised and subsequently became part of the larger Department of Public Health implementer bill HB5911.

SB580: AN ACT CONCERNING CLINICAL TRIALS FOR CANCER TREATMENT raised by the Insurance and Real Estate Committee, which would require insurers to cover routine patient care costs of those participating in clinical trials, was short-lived.

It was determined this issue would be best served by forming a working group to discuss the means of providing this coverage without the need for legislation. As CBCC State Legislative Chair, Nancy Pilver is a member of this group. She also serves on the Special Project Advisory Committee for the State of Connecticut, which oversees and advises the distribution of the funds contributed to the check-off box on the state income tax form for the Connecticut Breast Cancer Research and Education Fund.

1999

In 1999, on behalf of CBCC, Nancy Pilver, the State Legislative Chair, pursued the introduction of the following legislation to the General Assembly:

SB80: AN ACT PROHIBITING THE USE OF GENETIC INFORMATION IN EMPLOYMENT – Passed

SB85: AN ACT PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION IN THE PROVISION OF DISABILITY INSURANCE ON THE BASIS OF GENETIC INFORMATION – Failed to Pass

SB573: We tried to have the language of this bill include the coverage of treatment for those diagnosed with cancer under the CDC Breast and Cervical Cancer Program. Although alerts were fielded and testimony given at the hearing, we failed to accomplish our goal.

1997

In the 1997 session of the General Assembly, the following pieces of legislation were introduced on our behalf:

SB 141: AN ACT CREATING A CHECK-OFF SYSTEM ON PERSONAL INCOME TAX RETURNS TO PROVIDE FUNDS FOR BREAST CANCER RESEARCH – Passed
This legislation established a Connecticut Breast Cancer Research and Education Fund via a check-off box on the State Income Tax form, which allows those who wish to contribute a simple way to do so. Over $300,000 have been contributed to this fund since the bill took effect in 1998.

HB6527: AN ACT PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION IN THE SALE OF HEALTH INSURANCE ON THE BASIS OF GENETIC INFORMATION AND PROTECTING THE PRIVACY OF GENETIC INFORMATION – Passed
Although the language of this bill was not as strong as we would have liked it to be, it was a start in the right direction. This will eventually lead to significant protection from disclosure of, and discrimination in, not only sale of insurance, but employment and any other entity where disclosure of an individual's genetic makeup may be harmful.

SB334: AN ACT CONCERNING HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR MEDICALLY NECESSARY POST-MASTECTOMY CARE. (Better known as the Drive-thru Mastectomy Bill) – Passed
This bill provided health insurance coverage for a stay of not less than 48 hours in a hospital when surgery is performed for a mastectomy or lumpectomy/lymph node dissection.

1996

Realizing CBCC must enlarge its legislative advocacy network (which, by the way, was the first to be established in Connecticut) by asking members of other groups and organizations to join us in our legislative advocacy effort. After bringing together several groups to field CBCC alerts, we were armed and ready for the 1996 General Assembly Session. In 1996, the following bills were introduced on our behalf:

SB 337: AN ACT CONCERNING BREAST AND CERVICAL CANCER – Passed
This bill provided, and does to this day, access to screening and diagnosis of breast cancer and cervical cancer to the underserved and uninsured women of this state. The original language of this bill included treatment for those diagnosed under this program but was eliminated in the final stages of its passage.

HB 5589: AN ACT CONCERNING INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR BREAST CANCER – Passed
This bill shortened the length of time from ten (10) to five (5) years a breast cancer patient must be free of treatment for the disease before insurance providers would accept them for coverage.

As a result of CBCC’s enlarged alert network both of these bills – which did not pass in 1995 – were passed.

1995

The Connecticut Breast Cancer Coalition was founded in the fall of 1994. Legislative advocacy began when the State Legislative Chair brought to the attention of the members at the March 11, 1995 meeting the need for action to be taken on several cancer related bills pending in the current legislative session:

Senate Bill 86: AN ACT CONCERNING BREAST AND CERVICAL CANCER

Senate Bill 320: AN ACT CONCERNING PREEXISTING CONDITION RESTRICTIONS IN HEALTH POLICIES

We did not begin our advocacy at the start of the session, but were able to get a foothold even after launching our efforts in March. Although neither of these bills passed, we had the support of key legislators who promised to introduce the legislation again in 1996.

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