State of New Jersey

STATE OF NEW JERSEY
Division of The Ratepayer Advocate
31 Clinton Street, 11th Fl.
P. O. Box 46005
Newark, New Jersey 07101

Press Release

For Immediate Release
Monday, March 26, 2004

For Further Information
Contact: Tom Rosenthal
Tel: 973-648-2690

“How To Detect And Prevent Breast Cancer And Other Health Related Issues” Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital At The Hamilton Auditorium Outpatient Services Building Hamilton, N.J. March 29, 2004


Ratepayer Advocate Seema M. Singh Calls for Efforts to Combat Cancer
To Be Brought to New Jersey’s Underserved Populations

Hamilton, NJ – Seema M. Singh, the state’s Ratepayer Advocate and the most senior Asian-Indian in New Jersey government, said that Governor James E. McGreevey’s efforts to combat cancer must be brought to the state’s underserved populations, particularly women of color and immigrants who are either uninsured or underinsured.

Speaking at an outreach program co-sponsored by Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital-Hamilton, Ms. Singh said that shortly after he was elected, Governor McGreevey became aware of the terrible scourge of cancer in New Jersey and was determined to seek solutions that could result in the early diagnosis and treatment that can make such a difference in survival after diagnosis.

“The Governor also realized that one of the most serious problems in respect to early diagnosis was the lack of medical services for underserved populations, including both uninsured and underinsured people,” Ms. Singh said. A total of 56 percent of New Jersey’s uninsured are people of color. While 12 percent of the uninsured are white, 20 percent are black, 35 percent are Hispanic and 21 percent are classified as “other”.

“I assume that ‘other’ means people like me and other Asians who are currently the fastest growing population group in the state,” Ms. Singh said. “Many of us from these population groups do not speak English as a first language. Many of us are recent immigrants. Many of us are poor and afraid of authority figures who are not of our communities.”

Ms. Singh urged the nearly 50 women who attended the event, “How to Detect and Prevent Breast Cancer & Other Health Related Issues,” to explain cancer detection and prevention. “From my personal experience, I know that many Asian Indian newcomers and other immigrants are also uninsured and even more prone to the feat that cancer researchers identify, along with lack of insurance, as being the principal factor that causes women to neglect to seek early detection and diagnosis,” Ms. Singh said.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in young women ages 15 to 40, while if detected early, the 5-year survival rate for localized breast cancer is 97%.

“My goal is to seek your support for the two critical health initiatives proposed by the Governor to address the high mortality rate for breast cancer and all cancers among New Jersey women and men,” Ms. Singh said.

The first initiative is a law to require health insurance companies to cover all annual mammograms for women of any age if recommended by their physicians. Currently, New Jersey law only requires insurance companies to cover annual mammograms for women age 40 and older. For women with a family history of breast cancer, however, many doctors recommend that they begin annual mammograms 10 years prior to the age a female relative was first diagnosed.

“For some women, this may mean that they must start having annual mammograms as early as age 20, or earlier,” said Ms. Singh. “Because of the high cost of mammograms, however, many women under 40 are unable to afford this potentially life-saving procedure. A woman’s physician and her medical history, not insurance company discretion, should decide whether or not a woman under 40 should have a mammogram.”

Currently, New Jersey, Texas, Wyoming and the District of Columbia, are the only states that limit the age for mandatory health insurance coverage for mammograms. Legislation to enact the Governor’s proposal was approved by the Assembly on March 11 and is now in the state Senate. Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein, a co-sponsor of the measure, spoke at the health outreach conference on the status of the legislation

The second initiative by Governor McGreevey to combat cancer addresses the needs of New Jersey’s uninsured and underinsured population. The Governor proposed in his budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 to double funding for the New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection (NJCEED) program. The program enables screening services and treatment for men and women for breast, cervical, prostate and colorectal cancer by providing funding to all 21 counties through 25 screening programs.

Ms. Singh said that 98 percent of the women screened by the NJCEED program have no other form of insurance. In 2003, 9,813 people were screened for breast cancer with 86 cases of breast cancer detected. Since 1996, the NJCEED program has performed over 52,000 mammograms for breast cancer screening on uninsured and underinsured women, and detected 403 cases of breast cancer. The number of breast cancer screenings has almost doubled each year since 1998.

“Despite the success of this program, many women who are eligible for the NJCEED program remain unscreened due to the lack of adequate funding for the program,” Ms. Singh said. She cited statistics to support the Governor’s proposal.

Ms. Singh urged women and men in the audience, as well as all residents across the state, to “become an advocate with me. We can and must do better to protect the health and well-being of our state’s families.”

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