Medicaid Denies Coverage for Breast Cancer Treatment in Men

The Kiss drummer Peter Criss recently brought breast cancer in men into the spotlight after he discovered he had the cancer in 2008. Since then he has been an advocate for early treatment in men.
According to the American Cancer Society, about 2,000 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. In comparison with women, men are 100 times less likely to develop breast cancer than women, but it is possible. In 2009, about 192,370 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. Similar to women, breast cancer in men was found to be linked to the BRCA1 ad BRCA2 gene mutations, in addition to family history records and age contributions. Heavy drinking and exposure to radiation are thought to influence this cancer development. Most recently, a breast cancer cluster in men has been potentially linked to drinking contaminated drinking water in North Carolina at Camp Lejeune. Thus there may be a link between chemical exposure and the cancer risk.

Men who develop breast cancer are in sticky situation when Medicaid coverage is denied for breast cancer treatment because they are males. In the case of most male patients, they are shocked to hear from their doctors that they have breast cancer. And they are even more shocked when they are denied coverage. With amounting bills and chemotherapy treatments working to potentially save their lives, it is hard to think about the future and how they will afford it.
According to CBS News, Raymond Johnson, a man with breast cancer who was denied Medicaid coverage, said, “Cancer doesn’t discriminate, so this program shouldn’t discriminate.” He might argue that this situation is an act of sexism within the system. The federal Medicaid system is not serving the interests of the people it was designed to help.
This situation is being addressed by the CDC and South Carolina to see if changes can be made to offer options that will resolve the problem. In the minds of most, it is important to ensure that Medicaid is helping the individuals it was designed to help. In events when this is not true, it is important to make these individuals eligible for the coverage they deserve.
In the weeks to months to come, it will be interesting to see when and how this glitch will be fixed.
In addition, former Sen. Edward W. Brooke (R-Mass) was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002. Before diagnosis, he was feeling chest pain. This symptom of chest pain was described by other men who were later diagnosed with breast cancer.