Wasserman Schultz, Brooks Introduce EARLY Act for Breast Cancer Awareness
Health care is the top domestic policy issue for Americans (https://www.kff.org/health-reform/poll-finding/kff-election-tracking-poll-health-care-in-the-2018-midterms/), but with so many different ideas to make the healthcare system more accessible and affordable, the issue is becoming increasingly complex. Because of its far-reaching impact, health care is often a politically charged topic and little change has yet been seen on a legislative level.
However, at times elected officials move past the rhetoric and stalemate to find common ground on an issue as impactful as health care. In this case, two U.S. representatives, Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Susan Brooks (R-IN), reached across the aisle to reintroduce the Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young (EARLY) Act, H.R. 4078 (https://wassermanschultz.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2377). Reauthorizing the 2010 law would provide important breast cancer education and awareness to young women and those from diverse ethnic and societal backgrounds.
“Reauthorizing the EARLY Act means that we will continue the vital work of educating young and higher-risk women about their breast health and direct their attention to this deadly disease. We must continue supporting initiatives that help identify high-risk women, collect family histories, and educate doctors,” Wasserman Schultz said. Previously diagnosed with breast cancer and the BRCA2 gene mutation at age 41, Wasserman Schultz is a cancer survivor. After seven surgeries and lengthy treatment, she has been cancer free for more than a decade.
Adding her support for the bill, Brooks said, “It is important to reauthorize the EARLY Act because it shines a necessary spotlight on the threats posed by breast cancer to young women. I’m proud to lead this bill, because it seeks to educate healthcare professionals and the public about the importance of young women’s breast health and supports research that will help end breast cancer once and for all.”