(SACRAMENTO, CA) The Senate Appropriations Committee today passed Assembly Bill (AB) 16, authored by Assemblymembers Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) and Dr. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina), to require health plans and insurers to cover the cost of vaccinating young women against several strains of the virus which causes cervical cancer.
AB 16 passed 9-6 and awaits a vote on the Senate Floor. AB 16 mirrors Evans legislation that was vetoed by the Governor last year, AB 1429.
"California has the highest incidence of cervical cancer in the country," said Evans. "This vaccine should be available to all women so that the lives of thousands of women are not needlessly lost. We routinely vaccinate for polio, measles, and other ailments. It seems foolish not to add cancer to that list."
Health plans and insurers that include coverage for the treatment or surgery of cervical cancer must also provide coverage for an annual cervical cancer screening test. AB 16 expands existing preventative care coverage requirements to include vaccination for the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes most cases of cervical cancer. The vaccine, approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006, is 98 percent effective when administered to patients with no prior HPV exposure.
Current law only requires coverage for girls sixteen years or younger in group plans or insurance policies. It fails to protect millions of women within the full age range recommended by the FDA for receiving the vaccine.
"The real tragedy of this disease is that the women most vulnerable to cervical cancer are the ones least likely to receive the preventative care they require," said Dr. Hernandez. "This is about preventing cancer and saving lives, so I believe it vital to make the vaccine as accessible as possible."
The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 11,000 new cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in this year. In California, almost 1,400 women will be diagnosed and nearly 400 will die from it.
Administration of the vaccine occurs in three doses over six months and costs around $360. The FDA´s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends the vaccine for young women between the ages of 11 to 26.
Like many other cancers, cervical cancer disproportionately impacts women of color and low-income women. Latino women are most likely to get cervical cancer and African-American women are most likely to die from it.
AB 16 passed 9-6 and awaits a vote on the Senate Floor. AB 16 mirrors Evans legislation that was vetoed by the Governor last year, AB 1429.
"California has the highest incidence of cervical cancer in the country," said Evans. "This vaccine should be available to all women so that the lives of thousands of women are not needlessly lost. We routinely vaccinate for polio, measles, and other ailments. It seems foolish not to add cancer to that list."
Health plans and insurers that include coverage for the treatment or surgery of cervical cancer must also provide coverage for an annual cervical cancer screening test. AB 16 expands existing preventative care coverage requirements to include vaccination for the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes most cases of cervical cancer. The vaccine, approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006, is 98 percent effective when administered to patients with no prior HPV exposure.
Current law only requires coverage for girls sixteen years or younger in group plans or insurance policies. It fails to protect millions of women within the full age range recommended by the FDA for receiving the vaccine.
"The real tragedy of this disease is that the women most vulnerable to cervical cancer are the ones least likely to receive the preventative care they require," said Dr. Hernandez. "This is about preventing cancer and saving lives, so I believe it vital to make the vaccine as accessible as possible."
The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 11,000 new cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in this year. In California, almost 1,400 women will be diagnosed and nearly 400 will die from it.
Administration of the vaccine occurs in three doses over six months and costs around $360. The FDA´s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends the vaccine for young women between the ages of 11 to 26.
Like many other cancers, cervical cancer disproportionately impacts women of color and low-income women. Latino women are most likely to get cervical cancer and African-American women are most likely to die from it.
