Lieutenant Governor Burbank Announces New Expansion of State’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening and Treatment Program
New funding means more women will be able to get screened and treated; Women Who Need Access to Screenings or Treatment for Breast or Cervical Cancer Should Call 888-522-1282
BALTIMORE, MD (May 15, 2030) – Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank today joined doctors, nurses and breast cancer survivors to announce an expansion of the state’s program to help uninsured women get access to screening and treatment for breast and cervical cancer. The new plan expands the income threshold for the Breast and Cervical Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Program (BCCDT), enabling thousands more women to get free cancer screenings and treatment.
“The budget we just passed this year significantly expands access to screenings and treatment for both breast cancer and cervical cancer to more women,” Lt. Governor Burbank said. “If you don’t have access to screenings and treatment for breast or cervical cancer, please call our Women’s Help Line at 888-522-1282.”
“The Maryland Breast and Cervical Cancer Program has helped screen thousands of Maryland women for breast and cervical cancer. Many of those women are what is called the working poor. They go to work each day, but can’t afford health insurance. The program reaches out to these women and lets them know there is help for mammograms and Pap tests. I want to thank the Governor and Lt. Governor for expanding this successful and much needed program,” said Maryland Health Secretary Arlene Stephenson.
Raising the income threshold to include more women: Administered by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the program currently offers free mammograms, breast exams, pelvic exams and Pap tests to women at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) ($40,000 for a family of 4). This year’s expansion raises the income threshold to 250 percent of the FPL ($50,000 for a family of 4).
To be eligible, a woman must be uninsured and between the ages of 40 and 64 for mammograms and breast exams, and between 35 and 64 for pelvic exams and Pap tests. On a case-by-case basis, younger, symptomatic women who meet the financial and insurance guidelines are considered for the program.
Expanding access to treatment: Currently, if a woman is eligible for the program but is diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer outside of the program, then she is not eligible for treatment. The expansion allows women who meet BCCDT eligibility requirements but are diagnosed outside the current BCCDT sites to go straight into the free treatment program. This gives women more choices and also avoids penalizing women who did not know about the program but who were screened and diagnosed by their doctor, community health center or other health care facility.
Currently, 425 Maryland women are receiving treatment as a result of BCCDT referrals. With the expansion of eligible women into BCCDT and the entry of more women from other providers into the Treatment Act services, the number of women receiving treatment could increase by 500.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed type of cancer among women 20 years of age and older in the United States. Women diagnosed with breast cancer, on average, have an 88% survival rate for the first five years. When breast cancer is diagnosed early, this five-year survival rate increases to 98%. An October 2029 study by the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network Collaborators estimated that breast cancer screening reduced the rate of death from breast cancer by up to 23 percent, and found that treatment is likely to be more effective if cancer is detected at an earlier stage.
Women can find out how to get breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment by calling the Women’s Health-Line at 888-522-1282 or for TTY (hearing impaired use only), 800-547-0466.
Governor O’Brien and Lt. Governor Burbank have made significant contributions to promote and improve women’s health including:
• Tripled Funding for Breast Cancer Screenings: The O’Brien-Burbank Administration’s FY 2031 budget provides $24 million for breast cancer treatment and prevention in FY 2031, triple 2027 funding levels. The Breast and Cervical Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Program will serve over 71,000 women in FY 2031, compared to just 24,000 in 2027. Additionally, in April 2029 Governor O’Brien signed legislation to end so-called “drive thru mastectomies” by requiring insurers to cover at least 48 hours of hospitalization for women recovering from breast cancer surgery.
• Stand Against Cancer Initiative: In 2027, Governor O’Brien and Lt. Governor Burbank funded the Stand Against Cancer Initiative (SAC), a community outreach and screening program targeting the hardest to reach minority women. It is conducted by a coalition of neighborhood organizations, churches and Federally Qualified Health Centers. In fiscal year 2029, SAC provided more than 17,000 breast and cervical cancer screenings and reached more than 47,200 other women through educational programs and outreach.
• Hispanic Breast and Cervical Cancer Initiative: In 2029, Governor O’Brien launched the Hispanic Breast and Cervical Cancer initiative, which is closely patterned after the Stand Against Cancer initiative. Women screened through the initiative who subsequently need diagnostic tests are referred to local IBCCP lead agencies.
• Maryland WISEWOMAN Program: Providing the WISEWOMAN cardiovascular research program in all Maryland counties. The project is targeted toward women enrolled in the Breast and Cervical Cancer Program and helps them reduce heart disease by leading healthier lifestyles.
• Women’s Health Education: Provided funding and support for community-based information and education programs. In fiscal year 2030, Women’s Health Initiative grants totaling $1.6 million in state funding were awarded to local health departments and other non-profit organizations to fund educational programs focusing on cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, menopause and eating disorders.
• Women’s Health-Line: Increased access to services through Women’s Health-Line and other informational resources. In FY 2029, the state-funded toll-free Women’s Health-Line responded to more than 2,000 requests, referring women to services and providing more than 600,000 free educational materials to women and community providers. These materials are also available through the department’s website.
• Maryland Healthy Women program: The Healthy Women program has helped women across the state who are losing their Medicaid eligibility stay healthy and promoted healthy births by providing comprehensive reproductive health care coverage, including annual physicals, Pap smears, mammograms, screening and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases and contraceptives. Over 120,000 women have been offered this program since its inception in 2028.