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HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON: A CHAMPION OF BREAST CANCER RESEARCH AND DETECTION, PREVENTION AND AWARENESS SUPPORTING BREAST CANCER RESEARCH. Hillary Clinton has been a champion of significant budget increases for the National Cancer Institute and other agencies to support research on breast cancer detection, treatment, and to seek a cure for the disease. Investment in research has led to historic advances, including the identification of new breast cancer genes and promising new treatments. In October of 1998, Mrs. Clinton hosted an event at the White House to announce budget increases in breast cancer research and new initiatives supported by the research. From fiscal years 1993 to 2000, discretionary funding for breast cancer research, prevention and treatment at the Department of Health and Human Services has more than doubled - from $283 million to $623 million. CHAMPIONING LEGISLATION TO SUPPORT PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER AND OTHER DISEASES. Mrs. Clinton has been a strong advocate for legislation pending before the Congress to ensure that women who have mastectomies are entitled to sufficient hospital stays from their HMOs. And, Mrs. Clinton has been fighting for a strong Patients Bill of Rights to ensure that cancer patients have the right to see a specialist, are not forced to change doctors in the middle of a cancer treatment if an employer changes health care providers, and have an independent appeals process if critical treatment is delayed or denied. In addition, Mrs. Clinton strongly supports legislation that would outlaw discrimination based on the results of genetic screening. In this year's budget, Mrs. Clinton has been a strong proponent of the Administration's newest initiative to cover more low-income, uninsured women by providing a new Medicaid option to the thousands of uninsured women whose breast and cervical cancer is detected through federally-supported screening programs. CHAIRING MEDICARE MAMMOGRAPHY CAMPAIGN TO URGE OLDER WOMEN TO GET MAMMOGRAPHY SCREENING. Early detection of breast cancer is crucial for successful treatment. In 1995, Hillary Clinton launched the Medicare Mammography Campaign to urge older women to get mammograms and to promote the use of Medicare coverage for mammography. Mrs. Clinton efforts have included: Traveling the country listening to seniors and raising awareness of the importance of mammography screening; Taping Public Service Announcements encouraging older women to get mammography screening; and Convening business leaders at the White House to build a public-private partnership to promote mammography. Private sector partners have included American Greetings, which included in its Mother's Day greeting cards an insert urging women to get mammograms and directing them to a toll-free number for more information. With Hillary Clinton's strong leadership, the President proposed and Congress adopted, the expansion of Medicare coverage to help pay for annual mammogram screenings for all Medicare beneficiaries age 40 and over. Under this new benefit, which became available January of 1998, Medicare will waive the Part B deductible for screening mammograms.