A Cancer Screening Paid Time Off Benefit Can Save Lives.
A Cancer Screening Paid Time Off (PTO) Benefit is similar to sick, vacation, or personal leave time. PTO for cancer screenings can help individuals be up to date with their recommended screenings for cancers such as breast, cervical, and colorectal. A mammogram is the best way to find breast cancer. Finding cancer early can save lives. Do you have Paid Time Off for Cancer Screenings in your workplace?
CPiA can help!
Breast Cancer in Young Women
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States. About 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer during her life. Although most breast cancers are diagnosed in older women, in rare cases breast cancer does affect women under the age of 45.
About 9% of all breast cancer cases in the United States are found in women younger than 45 years of age. Breast cancer in young women is more likely to be hereditary than breast cancer in older women and more likely to be found at a later stage, when it is often more aggressive and difficult to treat. Many young women do not know their risk for breast cancer or ways to manage their risk.
Real Women, Real Stories
CDC launched Bring Your Brave in 2015 to provide information about breast cancer to women younger than age 45. The campaign tells real stories about young women whose lives have been affected by breast cancer. These stories about prevention, risk, family history and survivorship bring to life the idea that young women can be personally affected by breast cancer. Through these testimonials, Bring Your Brave aims to inspire young women to learn their risk for breast cancer, talk with their health care provider about their risk, and live a breast healthy lifestyle.
CDC launched Bring Your Brave in 2015 to provide information about breast cancer to women younger than age 45. The campaign tells real stories about young women whose lives have been affected by breast cancer. These stories about prevention, risk, family history and survivorship bring to life the idea that young women can be personally affected by breast cancer. Through these testimonials, Bring Your Brave aims to inspire young women to learn their risk for breast cancer, talk with their health care provider about their risk, and live a breast healthy lifestyle.
The campaign’s target audience is women ages 18 to 44, particularly those whose family history and backgrounds predispose them to a higher risk for breast cancer at a young age. This includes women with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer and Ashkenazi Jewish women. The campaign encourages women of average risk to live a breast healthy lifestyle. Additionally, the campaign works to educate health care providers about the risk factors for early onset breast cancer and ways that their young women patients can manage their risks.
Objectives
• Encourage young women to learn their family history of breast and ovarian cancer.
• Educate young women on the risk factors for breast cancer before the age of 45.
• Inspire young women to talk to their health care provider if they think they may be at a higher risk for breast cancer.
• Encourage young women to live a healthy lifestyle and be aware of their own breast health.
• Educate providers on the risk factors for breast cancer before the age of 45.
How Can I Get a Breast Cancer Screening?
1) Free breast cancer screening is available for eligible, uninsured New York residents through New York State Cancer Services Program. You may be eligible if you:
• Live in New York State
• Do not have health insurance
• Have health insurance with a cost share that may a barrier to care
• Meet income eligibility requirements
• Meet age requirements
To get more information or to be connected to a Cancer Services Program near you, call 1-866-442-CANCER (2262) or visit the Cancer Services Program website to find a program in your area. The call is free, and the service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Hablamos español. There are also translation services available for other languages.
If you do not live in New York State, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to find a low and/or no cost screening program in your state.
2) Breast cancer screening is an essential health benefit under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, so health plans participating in the New York State of Health must cover breast cancer screening tests at no cost to the patient. For more information, go to the New York State of Health: The Official Health Plan Marketplace, or call the help line at 1.855.355.5777 or TTY: 1.800.662.1220
3) Breast cancer screening is fully covered through New York’s Medicaid program.
Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations
Current guidelines* recommend women who are 50 to 74 years old and at average risk for breast cancer to have a screening mammogram every two years. Women ages 40 to 49 years old are encouraged to talk to their health care providers about when and how often they should have mammograms. A woman who has a high risk for breast cancer, as determined by a health care provider, may need to begin screening earlier and with additional screening tests.
*These are United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines. Many organizations and professional societies have developed guidelines for mammography screening. All recommend that women should talk with their doctor about the benefits and harms of mammography, when to start screening, and how often to be screened. Women should be aware of their own risk for breast cancer and decide, with a health care provider, when and how to be screened for breast cancer.
1 https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/young_women/bringyourbrave/about.htm
2 https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/cancer/breast/freq_asked_quest_breast_cancer.htm
3 https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/cancer/breast/screening_recommendations.htm
