Obama, Sebelius: Healthcare law is fighting breast cancer

President Obama and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius marked Breast Cancer Awareness Month on Monday by touting healthcare reform and its benefits for women.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for U.S. women, and the healthcare law mandates that most insurance plans cover mammograms for free.

Noting this, Sebelius credited the Affordable Care Act with bringing on "a new day for women's health and the fight against breast cancer." 

"Only about 75 percent of women aged 40 or older have had a mammogram in the last two years," Sebelius said in a statement.

"If we could boost that number to 90 percent, thousands more lives could be saved. But budgets are tight, and even moderate copays can deter many women from getting those important screenings."

The healthcare law "means that women can get the potentially life-saving services they need to detect breast cancer before it spreads, without worrying how a copay would affect their family budget," Sebelius said.

Obama echoed her comments in his statement.

"My administration remains committed to ensuring access to quality healthcare that includes preventive services for women," he said, citing the Affordable Care Act.

The law remains divisive with the public: 45 percent view it favorably and 40 view it unfavorably, according to the Kaiser Health Tracking Poll for September.

Kaiser's August survey found that roughly half of U.S. adults are aware that the Affordable Care Act eliminates costs for preventive services.

Since the 1980s, breast-cancer charities have used the month of October to raise money and awareness for the condition, which killed more than 40,000 U.S. women in 2008.

---