Why Is Breast Cancer A Political Issue

Breast Cancer and Policy Politics

By

Tim Bowles

PPA601 Foundations of Public Administration

Instructor

Dr. Leah Raby

February 29, 2016

Introduction

One basic reason for the various policymaking processes is that different approaches to public policy affect people in different ways. If a policy proposal affects a well-organized constituency adversely, that constituency will fight it aggressively. We distinguished government policies, according to their approaches. The process is a configuration, and series of actions to a desired end. It is the procedures used for decision-making, and determining the degree of co-operation or conflict that is usually present. Governments adopt new policies to manage a troublesome situation.

This policy model brings us to the main topic, the “Politics of Breast Cancer” (Newsweek, December 10, 1990 p. 62-65). One in every eight American women will get breast cancer during her lifetime. Of those diagnosed with breast cancer, one in four will die from it. It is an epidemic and it’s getting worse, not better. In the past few years, breast cancer has gone from being just a medical problem to becoming a full-fledged political issue. Why has breast cancer been placed on the nation’s political agenda? It hardly seems to be an issue that divides people.

Breast cancer is a political problem in a number of ways. One controversy is about the responsibilities of health insurers to pay for various treatments, ranging from the initial baseline mammograms for younger women, to expensive bone marrow transplant therapy. Transplant therapy is for women with advanced breast cancer. Many state governments have adopted legislation that requires insurance companies to cover certain kinds of

Medical research on all diseases is largely supported by the national government, and for years’ women’s groups have argued that breast cancer research is not adequately funded. In 1990, breast cancer research received $77 million in funding from Congress. In 1994, funding was set at $263 million. Congress also reacted to the lack of federal standards for mammography machines and licensing requirements for the technicians who conduct mammograms. Sadly, there have been many instances of incorrect evaluations of mammograms. The Mammography Quality Standards Act of 1992 “established national standards for equipment, requires licensing of technicians, mandates board certification and continuing education for physicians who interpret mammograms. It also sets up accreditation procedures for mammography facilities” New York Times October (1992). Advocates for breast cancer issues have been successful at getting government to respond. Critics say the disease is getting an undue share of the research dollars distributed by the