New York’s Cancer Services Program provides breast, cervical and colon cancer screenings to the state’s uninsured and under-insured. Earlier this year the program was effectively cut from $29 million to $21 million, denying mammograms, Pap tests and colon tests to thousands of eligible New Yorkers. Now comes word that Gov. David Paterson wants to hack the effort even more, further reducing the ability of clinics and hospitals around the state to provide life-saving cancer screenings to women in need.

Make no mistake, this program isn’t a luxury. It’s a critical service, necessary to saving both lives and state funds in the long term. New York estimates it saves more than $40 million annually by investing in cancer screening and detection efforts. Yet the latest proposal would cut even more away from key breast, cervical and colon cancer programs.

Nobody is denying that the state has budget problems, but the knee-jerk reaction to slash funds for cancer programs is both shortsighted and counter-productive. The American Cancer Society urges the governor to find a more productive alternative.

Gretchen Leffler

Regional Vice President, American Cancer Society, Amherst