NBCC: Breast Cancer Caucus

NBCC sent a letter to each Presidential candidate requesting a video response telling us what he or she would do as President to eradicate breast cancer. We also asked for a written response to NBCC's core issues. Below is Barack Obama's response.

1. Guaranteed access to quality health care for all:

Barack Obama believes that every American has the right to quality health care, and has committed to enacting a universal health care plan by the end of his first term as President. A critical component of Obama's plan is the requirement that individuals have mandatory coverage of essential clinical preventive services, such as cancer screenings. All federally supported health plans – including Medicare, Medicaid, and the new public plan Obama proposes – will cover these life-saving services.

2. $150 million for the Department of Defense (DOD) Peer-Reviewed Breast Cancer Research Program:

Barack Obama recognizes that the DOD's Peer-Reviewed Breast Cancer Research Program has been tremendously effective, not just by expanding and accelerating research on breast cancer but also by establishing meaningful partnerships between the federal government, scientific community and patient advocacy groups. As Senator, Obama has cosigned letters calling for continued funding for the Breast Cancer Research Program, and as President, he will work to expand the funding and scope of this Program in DOD and other branches of government.

3. Enactment of the Breast Cancer Environmental Research Act (S. 579/H.R. 1157):

Barack Obama is a proud cosponsor of S. 579. As a member of the Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, he has voiced his support for immediate passage of this critical legislation, and as President he will work for its enactment.

4. Preservation of the Medicaid Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program:

Barack Obama knows that millions of women have relied upon and benefited from the Medicaid Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program, which has literally meant the difference between life and death for women with breast and cervical cancer all across this nation. As Senator, he supported the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 which passed in March 2007. As President, he will support and expand this successful program.

5. Support for Cancer Research Generally:

Like many Americans, Barack Obama understands in a very personal way the need for greater medical research to fight cancer. He watched his mother die of ovarian cancer in the prime of her life. Obama believes that we need to wage a war on cancer with far more resources. Although biomedical research costs are increasing each year, annual funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have not kept up, and the last Congress actually cut cancer funding for the first time in a decade. This isn't just counter-productive, it is a failure to keep faith with so many Americans who are in the fight of their lives against cancer, and it overlooks our country's tradition of medical innovation. As President, Obama will make ending cancer the top priority it needs to be by increasing funding for the NIH, NCI, and other medical research grants. The fight against cancer is a critically important issue in the lives of millions of Americans. It needs to be a top priority for our government, and it will under an Obama administration.