THOMAS J. MANTON PROSTATE CANCER ACT

IMPORTANT: There are two schools of thought regarding political letters. One opinion is that multiple identical letters demonstrate an organized effort and have more impact. If you agree with this, use the instructions below to copy and paste the sample letter "as is." The other opinion is that an individualized letter expresses personal interest better and has more impact than a common letter. If you feel this way, you may still want to utilize the "copy and paste" facility to copy significant information into your own letter and then make personalized modifications.

Another method of expressing your opinion is to send a fax or make a phone call. This may be easier for some, and where urgency exists on an issue, it is the fastest way. Finally, nothing beats a face-to-face meeting with government and elected officials - whether in their home or Washington offices. Because of Congressional schedules, you may meet with a legislative aide, but usually that is the person who analyzes and make recommendations to the elected or appointed officials.

Whatever you believe, contacting elected or appointed officials in any form will have more impact than doing nothing!!!

THE ISSUE:

In the 109th Congress, HR 6135 "The Thomas J. Manton Prostate Cancer Early Detection and Treatment Act of 2006" was introduced into the House of Representatives. Unfortunately, this was just before the November election recess and the bill died in committee conference with the ending of this Congressional session. The bill has now been reintroduced into the 110th Congress as S. 1275 by Senator Charles E. Schumer (D. NY) and as H.R. 2131 by Representative Jim Marshall (D. GA)

"The Thomas J. Manton Prostate Cancer Early Detection and Treatment Act of 2007" is an act to amend the Public Health Service Act and title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for a screening and treatment program for Prostate Cancer in the same manner as is provided for Breast and Cervical cancer.

The Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection program has recently been reauthorized by the current Congress and signed into law by the President. It provides CDC funding to the states for screening programs for these cancers for uninsured and underinsured individuals who meet certain income guidelines. It assists states with funding for treatment through Medicaid if cancer is detected. This bill would add Prostate Cancer to the current programs, putting it on an equal footing with Breast and Cervical Cancers.

ALERT:

This bill has been sent to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Finance Committee. The quickest way to get these out of Committee and into voting is to increase the number of co-sponsors. Following the sample letter below is a sample fax you may wish to modify. Also shown are lists of the members of both of these Committees. If any of these members are from your home state, you are also urged to contact them requesting that their Committees take action to move the bill to the floor for voting.

For a summary of these bills including the current lists of co-sponsors, click either entry below.

HR 2131         S 1275

SEND TO:

1. Your Senators
2. Your Representative

SAMPLE LETTER:

Note: In a collaboration between NASPCC and Us TOO International, an alternative sample letter to the one below is available by clicking here.

[Letter contributed by Stephen Corman    scorman@optonline.net]

Dear [Senator or Representative] ___________:

The American Cancer Society predicts that almost 220,000 men will be diagnosed with Prostate Cancer in 2007 and more than 27,000 men will die from this disease. It is the second leading cancer killer of men, being exceeded only by lung cancer. One in six men will be diagnosed with Prostate Cancer in their lifetime.

The Breast and Cervical Cancer Mortality Prevention Act of 1990 has provided free or low cost screenings for uninsured and underinsured needy women for the last 17 years. In 2000, Congress passed the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act which provides Medicaid coverage for women detected with Breast or Cervical Cancers. This act has been reauthorized by Congress many times. These acts have benefited almost 3 million women since their creation. Currently, almost 750,000 women who could not afford it otherwise are being screened annually.

It is now time to provide similar coverage for men. The Thomas J. Manton Prostate Cancer Early Detection and Treatment Act of 2007 ([H.R. 2131 or S. 1275]) is not a totally new bill. All it does is add Prostate Cancer to the current acts that provide screening and treatment for Breast and Cervical Cancers.

I urge you to level the playing field and to provide as much support for men with Prostate Cancer as you have for these women by joining as a co-sponsor and by voting for passage of this act.

Sincerely,

NAME
(survivor, family, etc. and/or affiliation)
ADDRESS
CITY/STATE/ZIP
PHONE

SAMPLE FAX and COMMITTEE LISTS: [Files contributed by Kermit Heid    kermbikr@haaga.com]

Manton Bill Fax

House Committee on Energy and Commerce: Health Subcommittee

Senate Finance Committee: Health Subcommittee

Now you can proceed to a site where you can paste your message into an easy form and send it off to members of Congress.

For instructions on using "Copy" and "Paste" and the Congressional e-mail site Click here

If you don't know the name of your Representative, you can simply enter your zip code and find out. If you prefer to send surface mail rather than e-mail, you can find addresses at this site. Fax and phone numbers are also shown if you prefer to use that methodology.

CAPITOL SWITCHBOARD

An easy and quick way to telephone your Congressional representatives is to call the toll-free central Capitol switchboard at 1-888-460-0813 and ask to be connected to their offices.

Remember: Be polite and respectful! The person who takes your call may not be able to give a direct answer on where your Senator or Representative stands, but be assured – your call counts!