President Joseph Biden on Monday proclaimed October National Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2024, saying that “too many Americans know the pain of losing a mother, sister, wife, daughter, or loved one to breast cancer.”
“During National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we honor the memories of all those we have lost to this devastating disease,” said Biden in a White House Proclamation. “We give strength and support to their families, to their caregivers, to survivors, and to women still undergoing treatment. And we express our gratitude to all the medical professionals and health researchers working tirelessly to end cancer as we know it.”
The president said that, today, there are more than four million breast cancer survivors in America and that, this year alone, hundreds of thousands more will be diagnosed.
He said that while scientists have made significant breakthroughs to better prevent, detect, and treat breast cancer, “a diagnosis is frightening and overwhelming.”
He said patients and families are often flooded with complex medical information and forced to advocate for themselves to receive primary care.
Additionally, Biden said some patients are left saddled with exorbitant medical bills while undergoing grueling treatments.
He said that for his and Vice President Kamala Harris’s family — along with millions of families across the country — cancer is personal.
Biden said ending cancer as we know it has been a top priority for his administration since day one.
He noted that he and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden reignited the Cancer Moonshot to cut the cancer death rate by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years and improve the experience of those diagnosed with cancer and their loved ones.
Biden also established the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, securing $4 billion in bipartisan funding to help scientists, innovators, and public health professionals “who are working around the clock to improve the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancers and other deadly diseases.”
In addition, he said his administration has “worked hard” to make cancer treatment more affordable for patients, stating that he strengthened Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), expanded health coverage to millions of Americans, and saved millions of families $800 per year on their health insurance premiums.
Biden said his Inflation Reduction Act would cap total out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs at $2,000 per year for seniors and other people on Medicare — including expensive cancer medications, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Moreover, to increase support for patients and their families, the president said his administration has “ensured that people facing cancer can access patient navigation services that are fully paid for through Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance.
“This personalized assistance helps lift the burden of managing the complex medical journey alone from millions of patients.”
Furthermore, Biden said his administration is committed to ensuring women have access to screening and early detection services, “which are critical in catching breast cancer early and saving lives.”
Toward that aim, he said his administration expanded coverage under the ACA, which requires insurers to pay for recommended cancer screenings — including mammograms — for many more Americans.
“We expanded access to free breast cancer screenings for any veteran exposed to burn pits during their military service. And we will continue to forge partnerships with community health centers to help ensure underserved communities have access to early detection and support services,” he said.
“This National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, let us each recommit to doing our part to give more support, hope, and care to patients, families, and survivors of breast cancer,” he added. “Let us rise above party and politics and unite as Americans to help all of our loved ones struggling with this terrible disease.
“And let us strengthen our resolve together as a Nation to end cancer as we know it — for all the lives we have lost and all those we can still save,” continued Biden, urging citizens, government agencies, private businesses, nonprofit organizations, and other interested groups to join in activities that will increase awareness of what Americans can do to prevent and control breast cancer, and pay tribute to those who have lost their lives to this disease.
