Ortiz Seeks Cancer Refunding for Low-Income Men

SENATOR ORTIZ SEEKS TO RESTORE FUNDING TO PROVIDE PROSTATE CANCER TREATMENT FOR LOW-INCOME MEN

Senator Deborah Ortiz (D-Sacramento) today said she will work with Gov. Schwarzenegger to ensure prostate cancer treatment for low-income Californians is fully funded and that the state continues to serve hundreds of men who rely on the IMPACT program for essential and cost-effective cancer treatment.

I was extremely disappointed with the governor’s veto of funding for a program that has provided treatment for low-income, uninsured men who have no other place to turn to for critical and life-saving medical care,” said Ortiz, chair of the Senate Health Committee. “However, the governor’s office this week pledged to work with me to restore funding, and I am confident that we will keep California’s promise to provide quality and cost-effective health care to those who are most in need.”

The governor earlier this week vetoed $3 million the Legislature earmarked for IMPACT (Improving Access, Counseling and Treatment for Californians with Prostate Cancer). Since its inception in 2001, IMPACT has provided life-saving care for more than 600 low-income and uninsured men, allowing them to fully recover, return to work and continue to provide for their families. About 100 men diagnosed with prostate cancer are currently on a waiting list; two died over the past few months while waiting for funding.

In his veto message, the governor cited excessive administrative costs of 45% for the program, and directed the Department of Health Services to evaluate the program for programmatic and cost effectiveness. However, the results of a Senate Office of Research study requested by Ortiz showed the inflated costs were the result of incorrect calculations and that the actual overhead costs were closer to 23 percent. The Legislature’s $3 million budget appropriation required at least 80 percent of the costs to go to direct patient care, and Ortiz’s SB 650, which would make IMPACT permanent, also limits administrative costs to no more than 20 percent of the IMPACT budget.

Prostate cancer strikes one in six California men, and is the second leading cause of death from cancer. Advanced prostate cancer is incurable, but if caught early and treated effectively, the survival rate is close to 100%. IMPACT provides treatment at half the amount it costs county hospitals. Only 17 of the state’s 58 counties provide cancer treatment to the uninsured. Without IMPACT, uninsured patients are forced to allow their disease to progress to the point where they become incapacitated – and their chance for successful treatment is drastically reduced – before they can qualify for Medi-Cal coverage.