Controversial Issues
NCCC Chair's thoughts on Mandates and Reimbursement for the Vaccine
As a cancer prevention tool, the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) endorses widespread use of the HPV/cervical cancer vaccine to reduce the cancer burden on women and families that would otherwise have to battle cervical cancer and HPV disease.
The NCCC Chair of the Board of Directors personally answers the questions:
Should the HPV/Cervical Cancer vaccine be mandated by legislation or school boards and who pays for it?
January 5, 2007
There is a controversy surrounding the question: Should the HPV/cervical cancer vaccine be mandated by legislation or school boards and who should pay for the vaccine.
As a nonprofit organization with over 3,500 members, you can imagine our general membership may have some differences in opinion. However, most everyone agrees and the NCCC believes that the HPV/cervical cancer vaccine must reach as many girls and women as possible for there to be a large scale impact in eliminating the burden of cervical cancer and HPV disease.
A great deal of HPV disease and cervical cancer is disproportionately found in minority women and underserved poor populations. Many poor women may not have insurance and they are likely the same women that do not have easy access to come in for their routine Pap test. As a result, it is this population that, may benefit most by receiving the vaccine. However, many of these young girls families cannot afford the vaccine if it is not a covered benefit and easy to access.
Through the federal Vaccines For Children (VFC) program, children who are uninsured may qualify to receive the vaccine. However, there is an age limitation for allowing this coverage. What about the age group of women that are not covered by the VFC program? How do they pay for the vaccine? What about the working poor that have jobs but cannot afford health insurance? The age limitation must be changed.
The National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) believes every state Medicaid with county and state family planning programs including Title X and the Centers for Disease, Control and Prevention (CDC) should have their federal funding resources enhanced to 100% cover the added cost of the vaccine and office visits for young girls and all women based on the FDA agencies product age guidelines.
How could a federal/state program like Medicaid not cover a cancer vaccine that shows almost a 100% success rate in stopping the primary HPV types that lead to 70% of all cervical cancer cases in the United States? With this benefit in place along with private insurance companies including HMO's following suit, most all children should be able to be vaccinated and have ease of access. Now to the question; Should there be a school mandate for the vaccine?
It is true that if the vaccine is mandated for school enrollment, more young girls will be vaccinated. It is apparent most parents would decide to vaccinate their children if the downside were that their children could not attend school if they were not vaccinated. As an organization that helps women and their families that are battling difficult issues related to cervical cancer and HPV disease, the NCCC strongly supports measures that can be put into place that will vaccinate as many girls/women as possible. At the same time I understand this issue should attempt to be "Pro-Parent Choice" in the final determination on the vaccination of a child. I support attempts to mandate an easy to understand science-based parent education program at the time of the child's elementary school graduation and middle and high school enrollment to highlight the benefits of the HPV/cervical cancer vaccine and also make the vaccination process easy to access and affordable for all young girls.
In states that will not first offer a comprehensive parent education program, I would rather err on the side of reducing the awful burden of cervical cancer by having a mandate for the vaccine over not mandating the vaccine. Therefore, I feel parents should be allowed the right to "Opt Out" if they do not want their child vaccinated for any personal parenting reason, including religious belief and medical reasons. Having said this, I still hope to see a "full court press" on parents encouraging them through science based information to vaccinate their children when entering either middle school (Before the age of 13) or at least prior to high school admission.
You have read what I think. What do you think? Contact your local elected representative and let them know what you think on this important issue.
Regards,
Mr. Alan M. Kaye
Chair, Board of Directors
National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC)
