Mammograms Available for Uninsured Patients - Dr. jay harness

>>>DR. JAY HARNESS: An important question has been submitted to mybreastcanceranswers.com. It comes from a woman who is uninsured. She is in her late 40s and she wants to know where can I obtain free mammograms? Now before I get into some of the details about how you should go about trying to locate a place for free mammograms, I want to once again emphasize the importance of screening mammography. When we look at the decreased mortality rate, the decreased death rate in the United States from breast cancer, the number one reason for that decrease is finding breast cancer early. How do we find breast cancer early? Screening mammograms. So let me use as an example the state of Wisconsin and I have got some notes here from what I was able to find by doing my online search, a search that you can do; and what I would suggest is - you go to google, use search free mammograms but then you do it specifically for the town and county and state that you live in and then see what the Google search brings up. And so let me use Wisconsin as a good example and what came up was a program run by the State of Wisconsin that is federally funded. Federal dollars have been available for several years to screen uninsured women around the United States for both breast cancer and cervical cancer. So being enrolled in the program locally has some criteria, but what comes with that enrolment is a physical examination by either a physician or nurse that would include the mammograms, Pap test, pelvic examination, and other tests that may be indicated to deal with a particular breast problem that perhaps the patient has. Also looking at my notes as an example in State of Wisconsin, you must be a woman aged 45 through 64 and your income must be at or below 250% of the federal poverty level. Also, you do not have health insurance or the health insurance that you have does not cover routine checkups and screening or you are unable to pay the deductible or the copayment. In the state of Wisconsin, at least, another category of eligibility is that if you are 65 and older but you cannot afford medicare part B. So, please-please go out and find mammograms; they are available. Also, please do not forget the importance of a Pap test. These are the two cancers that we worry about a lot with woman, both breast cancer and cervical cancer. Screening is available for you, whether you have insurance or not. Hi, I am Dr. Jay Harness and I want to share with you an important information that I believe that every newly diagnosed patient with breast cancer needs to know. Susan Denver: I am a breast cancer survivor. Katherine Stockton: I am a breast cancer survivor. Coree: I am a breast cancer survivor. Susan Denver: And I want every woman to know… Katherine Stockton: …about personalized breast cancer treatment… Susan Denver: …and the Genomic Test. Coree: A test that helps guide a woman and her doctor… Katherine Stockton: …to the best treatment options for her. Susan Denver: Pass it on!