SCREENS for Cancer Act of 2025
- Bill Number
- H.R. 2381
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Health
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-03-26: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-30T08:07:17Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The SCREENS for Cancer Act of 2025 aims to reauthorize and enhance the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP), a federal initiative that provides cancer screening and related services. It extends the program's funding and operations through fiscal year 2030, with a focus on expanding access, reducing health disparities, and improving early detection to lower breast and cervical cancer rates and deaths.
Key Provisions
- Findings Section: Outlines the scale of breast and cervical cancer in the U.S. (e.g., over 319,000 new breast cancer cases and 43,000 deaths projected for 2025), highlights the NBCCEDP's history since 1991 (serving over 6.4 million people with 16.5 million screenings), and emphasizes its role in outreach, education, and early diagnosis for underserved groups.
- Amendments to the Public Health Service Act:
- Expands the program's goals to include cancer prevention alongside detection and control; adds priorities like enhancing support services (e.g., patient navigation and evidence-based strategies to boost screening rates), reducing disparities in high-risk populations, and improving equitable access by addressing barriers such as geographic isolation or cultural factors.
- Simplifies grant requirements for states and organizations, ensuring screenings align with evidence-based medical recommendations and mandating follow-up care.
- Updates reporting requirements: The Secretary of Health and Human Services must submit reports to Congress every 5 years (starting 2 years after enactment), covering program performance over the prior 2 or 5 years.
- Authorizes $235 million in annual funding for the program from fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
- GAO Study: Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO, an independent agency that audits federal programs) to conduct a study by September 30, 2027, analyzing program eligibility, trends in participation, and barriers to access (e.g., logistical or socioeconomic factors).
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Expanded Scope: Shifts from focusing solely on detection to including prevention; introduces new emphases on equity, disparity reduction, and barrier removal, which were not explicit before.
- Streamlined Operations: Removes outdated or redundant subsections (e.g., specific case management details and initial grant conditions) to make the program more flexible and aligned with current evidence-based practices.
- Funding and Reporting Adjustments: Increases authorized funding levels (previously set through 2011 with lower amounts) and changes reporting from annual to less frequent (every 5 years), potentially reducing administrative burden while extending oversight.
- Overall Structure: Builds on the 2007 reauthorization by modernizing language and priorities to address ongoing health inequities.
Potential Impacts
- On Government Agencies: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, which administers the program) will manage expanded services, potentially increasing workload for outreach and data reporting but with stable annual funding to support it.
- On Citizens: Low-income, uninsured, or underinsured women—especially in rural, tribal, or minority communities—could see more screenings (aiming for earlier cancer detection), leading to fewer advanced-stage diagnoses and deaths; the program has already identified tens of thousands of cases, and reauthorization may serve even more people.
- On International Relations: Minimal direct impact, as the program is domestic, though it could indirectly strengthen U.S. public health leadership by demonstrating commitment to equity in cancer care.
- Broader Effects: Likely to increase overall screening rates, reduce healthcare costs from late-stage treatments, and promote health equity, but success depends on addressing identified barriers like access in isolated areas.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Primary Beneficiaries: Low-income, uninsured, or underinsured women aged 21–64 eligible for screenings, with special focus on geographically or culturally isolated groups, racial/ethnic minorities, and tribal communities (served in all 50 states, D.C., 6 territories, and 13 tribes/organizations).
- Healthcare Providers and Grantees: State health departments, nonprofits, and tribal organizations receiving federal grants to deliver screenings, education, navigation, and follow-up care.
- Federal Entities: HHS/CDC for program implementation; congressional committees (e.g., House Energy and Commerce, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) for oversight and funding; GAO for evaluation.
- Advocacy Groups: Organizations focused on women's health, cancer research, and equity, who may influence or benefit from expanded outreach.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal Implications: Amends Title XV of the Public Health Service Act (a key federal law governing public health programs) to ensure continuity and modernization; the funding authorization is advisory (Congress must still appropriate funds annually), but it sets a baseline for budget requests. No new enforcement mechanisms, but it mandates evidence-based practices, potentially inviting future legal challenges if access barriers persist.
- Constitutional Implications: Aligns with Congress's spending power under Article I to promote general welfare through public health funding; emphasizes equal protection by targeting disparities, without raising federalism concerns as it builds on voluntary state grants.
- Political Implications: Bipartisan introduction (by Reps. Morelle and Fitzpatrick) signals broad support for women's health initiatives; highlights equity and prevention amid rising cancer concerns, potentially influencing future health policy debates on disparities and funding priorities, but faces risks from budget constraints or competing priorities in appropriations.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Morelle, Joseph D. [D-NY-25]
Cosponsors (70)
Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1], Rep. Nunn, Zachary [R-IA-3], Rep. Miller-Meeks, Mariannette [R-IA-1], Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9], Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large], Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2], Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25], Rep. McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4], Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2], Rep. Sherrill, Mikie [D-NJ-11], Rep. Bost, Mike [R-IL-12], Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17], Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20], Rep. Bishop, Sanford D. [D-GA-2], Rep. Connolly, Gerald E. [D-VA-11], Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6], Rep. Torres, Ritchie [D-NY-15], Rep. Larson, John B. [D-CT-1], Rep. Bice, Stephanie I. [R-OK-5], Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2], Rep. Lynch, Stephen F. [D-MA-8], Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9], Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4], Rep. LaHood, Darin [R-IL-16], Rep. Salazar, Maria Elvira [R-FL-27], Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3], Rep. McBride, Sarah [D-DE-At Large], Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5], Rep. Kelly, Mike [R-PA-16], Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10], Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2], Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4], Rep. Letlow, Julia [R-LA-5], Rep. Friedman, Laura [D-CA-30], Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2], Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC-1], Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12], Rep. Kennedy, Timothy M. [D-NY-26], Rep. Doggett, Lloyd [D-TX-37], Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1], Rep. Peters, Scott H. [D-CA-50], Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12], Rep. Barragán, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44], Rep. Meng, Grace [D-NY-6], Rep. Elfreth, Sarah [D-MD-3], Rep. Kim, Young [R-CA-40], Rep. Miller, Carol D. [R-WV-1], Rep. Kean, Thomas H. [R-NJ-7], Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6], Rep. Hoyle, Val T. [D-OR-4] and 20 more
Recent Actions
- 2025-03-26: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- 2025-03-26: Introduced in House
- 2025-03-26: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Screening for Communities to Receive Early and Equitable Needed Services for Cancer Act of 2025 — issued 2025-03-26 — PDF (7 pages)