Wyo. Needs Help With Cancer Policies

By Michelle Dynes

According to a new report, The state is falling short on its legislative efforts to combat cancer.

By Michelle Dynes

mdynes@wyomingnews.com

CHEYENNE – Wyoming is falling short in terms of legislative efforts to combat cancer, according to a new report.

The state met only one of six benchmarks evaluated in “How Do You Measure Up?: A Progress Report on State Legislative Activity to Reduce Cancer Incidence and Mortality.” The report was developed by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and is in its sixth edition.

The scorecard gauged state policies on breast and cervical cancer early detection funding, access to care for the uninsured, colorectal screening coverage laws, smoke-free laws, pain management and tobacco taxes. The color-coded results mimic red, yellow and green traffic signals, indicating a state’s complete or partial stance on an issue.

Wyoming earned a passing grade for pain management but fell short on access to care for the uninsured and smoke-free laws. The state also tallied moderate scores for early detection funding, colorectal screening and tobacco taxes.

The national average for taxes is $1.14 per pack, but Wyoming charges 60 cents, said Loretta Wolf, government relations director for Wyoming’s branch of the American Cancer Society. She added that increasing tobacco taxes is one way legislators can encourage people to avoid or drop the habit.

The additional money raised by extra tax dollars also could pay for tobacco cessation or cancer control programs.

Other policy suggestions decrease the overall cost of health care, which is a concern for lawmakers nationwide.

“We do have some work to do in Wyoming,” Wolf said.

Insurance companies do not cover colonoscopies, but early detection allows patients to catch cancer-causing polyps before it takes root. Smoke-free laws remove harmful tobacco smoke from public places and reduce the risk of other cancers.

A statewide smoking ban failed to pass during the last legislative session, but it will return next year, said Rep. Lori Millin, D-Cheyenne. She added that Midwestern states such as Nebraska and South Dakota have enacted smoking bans.

Eliminating tobacco smoke improves the lives of youth and people with allergies or asthma. It also saves the state money on health- care expenses by decreasing smoking-related illnesses.

“A lot of the people who smoke don’t have good health care,” Millin said. “The state is going to be paying for it.”

Wolf said eight states met the benchmark for screening laws, while 25 states plus the District of Columbia passed policies to expand health insurance coverage.

“I think we’ve done some things,” she added. “But we could certainly do more.”

Last year, Wyoming earned a special mention for creating a colorectal screening program. She said patients qualify if they earn up to 250 percent of the federal poverty guideline. The program is only in its first year, but the Wyoming Department of Health completed screenings across the state.

Wolf added that she believes the state also will improve scores in other categories because more people are demanding smoke-free environments and fully funded early cancer detection programs.

(c) 2008 Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.