Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Adds Cervical Cancer Vaccine to Member Benefits
Posted on: Tuesday, 1 August 2006, 15:00 CDT
PHOENIX, Aug. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ) announced today that it will provide coverage for Gardasil(TM), a new vaccine to help prevent cervical cancer, to its group and individual members with standard benefit plans. Coverage for the new preventative therapy is available immediately.
Gardasil(TM) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 8 for females ages 9 to 26. According to the FDA, the vaccine is effective in preventing certain viruses that may cause cervical cancer.
"The FDA has stated that Gardasil is a significant advance in the protection of women's health because it strikes at the infections that are the root cause of many cervical cancers," said Gary Smethers, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of BCBSAZ. "Providing coverage for this new vaccine is a reflection of our commitment to the health of our members and is the right thing to do."
Gardasil's preventive cost is a small fraction of the total cost to treat cervical cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, treating cervical cancer costs approximately $1.7 billion a year.
"This vaccine is a powerful new weapon to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer in the population," said Dr. Smethers. "As with any new preventive therapy, it is important that parents and children take time to consult with their health care provider about the vaccination."
The American Cancer Society estimates there will be approximately 9,710 new cases of invasive cervical cancer in the U.S. in 2006 and about 3,700 women will die of the disease. Worldwide, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women with more than 470,000 new cases and approximately 240,000 deaths each year, according to the FDA.
About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is the largest Arizona-based health insurance company. The not-for-profit company was founded in 1939 and provides health insurance products, services or networks to more than 1 million individuals. With offices in Phoenix, Flagstaff, Tempe and Tucson, the company employs more than 1,500 Arizonans. For information about Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and its community programs such as WalkingWorks, please visit http://www.azblue.com/.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona
CONTACT: Kasey Broach, +1-602-417-0693, kbroach@ckpr.biz, for Blue CrossBlue Shield of Arizona
Web site: http://www.azblue.com/
Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall
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