Clinton Unveils Plan to Find Cure for Breast Cancer

[OzarkDem]

Just thought I'd post this. She came out with it the other day, but it didn't get a mention here.

This issue IS important to voters, men and women. Her plan is a great example of the detail in her policies, the research into the best ways to approach problems. Better than any plan a candidate has come up with since Clinton/Gore. Some Dems have been a real disappointment in this battle, refusing to provide Medicaid coverage to uninsured women diagnosed with these expensive and life threatening diseases.

She also "gets it" because she knows breast cancer and other diseases need more than screening. We also need to provide "treatment" when someone is diagnosed. We need to find out what causes these diseases and prevent people from getting them in the first place.

Screw "awareness", we want a cure, we want affordable treatment for everyone, we want the disease eradicated from the entire f*cking planet. Wake them up, Hillary!

Hillary Clinton appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show today and announced her plan to find a cure for breast cancer within our lifetime. Hillary’s plan would provide $300 million a year in increased funding for breast cancer research at the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, and the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program.

In addition to funding research for new treatments, these investments will also go to investigate the cause of breast cancer, including the role that environmental pollutants may have, as well as, potential genetic and hereditary links. The plan would also improve access to screenings and treatment by making mammograms more affordable and providing funding for treatment for low-income women. Under Hillary’s American Health Choices Plan, all women will have affordable, quality health insurance regardless of employment, marital status, or pre-existing conditions so they get the care and treatment they need.


http://blog.hillaryclinton.com/blog/main/2008/04/07/145002

[Pierre.Suave]

1. Breaking News!!!!!!!!!

Hillary panders to female voters...



Come on, I think that breast cancer research is important too, but this is laughably ridiculous pandering...

[OzarkDem]

12. She has a VERY LONG history of action on this issue;

She first became involved during the summer of 92 when Bill was campaigning for office. She met with key leaders like Dr. Susan Love and Fran Visco of the National Breast Cancer Coalition. They began developing an action plan then and began to put it in place shortly after Bill was elected.

John Podesta, Hillary, Bill and other WH staffers put the agenda together with the advocates and started pushing it through Congress, one bill at a time. It was hard, because of the GOP majority that came in during 1994, but we still got most of it through.

Virtually all of the progress we've seen in breast cancer and other cancers (once breast passed, the others followed) for research, screening and treatment, patients rights, access to clinical trials, etc.since 1992 (and thats most of it) were the result of this effort. The ones he couldn't get passed in Congress, he enacted through Executive Orders - Patient Privacy Act, etc.

During that time, breast cancer research funding increased by over 800%, as did research for other cancers and diseases. Today it totals nearly $1 billion per year.

She's continued to fight for research and treatment funding in the Senate. She's received numerous awards for her work last year.

Bush has tried to undo a lot of the progress made by cutting research funding, programs, etc. He promoted the Komen Foundation instead, headed by one of his appointees, Nancy Brinker. Apparently Nancy didn't mind all those cuts.

We need Hillary back in the White House so we can start moving forward again.

[Pierre.Suave]

15. So you think it is a good thing that HIllary...

wants to throw $300 million a year at 3 places, one of which is a defense department agency?

I am pretty sure that there is a lot more cancer research being done at the university level than at those 3 places alone...

Why will she not help them also? Is she anti-education?

Here is a link to how cancer will be cured...

http://www.cancer.umn.edu/

Notice the funding did not come from the federal government, to a federal agency...

[OzarkDem]

19. DoD adminsters handing out the money to the universities

They don't do the actual research, they bring in all the experts from many institutions and disciplines to develop high risk - high reward research programs, then fund them.

The military does an excellent job of this, better than NCI actually. They're only interested in results from researchers, not politics. They run a tight ship on this program and do things the NCI won't do, like requiring all research results be made public. They also switch priorities if a line of research doesn't pan out instead of continuing to fund someone's pet project that isn't worthwhile any longer.

Actually the program was designed by breast cancer survivors who also serve on committees that vote on what is funded.

I've served on one myself.

[Pierre.Suave]

22. SO are the survivors trained researchers?

or scientists?

That seems like a ludicrous way to try and cure cancer...

Here is a better way, and the way more likely to provide a good outcome.

http://www.cancer.umn.edu/

[OzarkDem]

27. Yes, some are docs and researchers

and some receive training in how to evaluate breast cancer research and proposals. After reading a recent study I realized I read more breast cancer research articles every week than most breast docs.

All are trained to serve as consumer advocates, to review and vote on proposals solely from the consumer's point of view. They vote to fund research that is moving science forwards and on pre and post doc education grants for researchers.

Did you know that researchers never bothered to study what causes cancer to metastasize and how to stop it from doing so until breast cancer survivors advocated for it?

Since this program began, the practice of using consumer reviewers has spread to other areas like NCI, NIH and FDA. Not all of them give consumer reviewers adequate say, though. Some use them only as cheerleaders and goodwill ambassadors.

[Pierre.Suave]

28. I think I will let the real cancer researchers

research cancer...

thanks...

[OzarkDem]

36. And those of us who want good research

will continue to look over their shoulders and guide the process.

You know what's surprising, they actually like it.

Many of them actually teach the classes for survivors to learn how to critique research, including researchers at the National Research Institute.

And, as I mentioned, many survivors are doctors and researchers. Just because you've had breast cancer doesn't mean you turn into an idiot.

[jordi_fanclub]

2. Obama CURES cancers!

[rodeodance]

3. Thanks for the post

[rodeodance]

4. REC

[Scooter24]

5. Why just breast cancer?

And why just women?

Don't get me wrong I'm very excited to hear about this because I lost my Grandmother a decade ago to breast cancer but what about the hundreds of other deadly and some lesser-known cancers that desperately need more funding like Lung, Pacreatic, Liver, and Colon cancers?

My boyfriend and I gave $25k last year to our local children's hospital to help fund it's cancer programs because of lack of federal research money. I guess not a lot of men and children watch Ellen these days.

[OzarkDem]

14. She covers the others too

Plan for All Cancers

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=3035

Autism


http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=4342

HIV/AIDS

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=4392

Reproductive Issues

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=5404

But she does focus on health issues that affect women only, because she knows they are often overlooked and underfunded.

Did you know that until women like Rep. Pat Schroeder and Hillary got involved, all breast cancer research was conducted only on men?

[Joe the Revelator]

26. Would you please post a link in support of the last comment in your post.

You know, this one:

"Did you know that until women like Rep. Pat Schroeder and Hillary got involved, all breast cancer research was conducted only on men?"

[OzarkDem]

30. I get asked this question a lot

Pat Schroeder talks about it in her memoirs, as do some of the other women.

Here's a link from a 1993 article that discusses the problem of women not being included in many kinds of medical research, including breast cancer. It was also an issue at the time for research into heart disease

http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:ARQTm8yHFDMJ:www.ehponline.org/docs/1993/101-2/spheres.html+pat+schroeder+breast+cancer+research+conducted+only+on+men&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us

A 1992 General Accounting Office (GAO) study criticized the NIH's pace in honoring its commitment to recruit women as research subjects.

The report criticized the NIH for scanty representations of women and minority subjects in federally funded, industry-sponsored research trials submitted as evidence for all drugs approved by the FDA since 1988. The landmark study coincided with a flurry of legislation and regulations that would mandate equal access to clinical trials.

In response to criticism from the GAO and Congress, the NIH buoyed its policy on including women in study populations and developed an action plan for women's health. The Public Health Service established the Office of Women's Health. Meanwhile, in 1990 the Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) was set within the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health. This office is charged with coordinating research related to diseases, disorders, and conditions that affect women, assuring that women are well represented in research studies, and promoting the recruitment, retention, reentry, and advancement of women in biomedical careers.

The latest version of the Women's Health Equity Act, which is part of the NIH reauthorization bill, is in conference. The bill codifies the ORWH as part of the NIH statute, requires the inclusion of women and minorities in clinical trials, and expands research on specific women's health needs. According to a congressional staffer, some $470 million is authorized for the act, which is expected to be signed into law by President Clinton this spring.

Meanwhile, headway is being made to audit NIH grants by the Congressional Women's Caucus, an assembly of female members of Congress that is trying to determine how many grants received a waiver to exclude women from research studies and how many grants were for studies of one gender. "No one thought a couple of laws would be a magic wand," said Congress-woman Patricia Schroeder (D-Colorado), a member of the caucus. "We're making sure women figure into new research proposals coming up so there is solid information based on solid research."

[BearSquirrel2]

32. Pat Shroeder is...

Pat Shroeder is an empty pantsuit. She was on Jeapordy with Al Franken when she got the question regarding cloture and couldn't answer it. Her business was supposedly politics. Al Franken buzzed in when her time expired and mocked her for being a congresswomen and not knowing what cloture was.

Granted, it a Senate thing. But since your bills go over there and cloture is kinda a big thing, you would expect her to be exposed to that topic.

[OzarkDem]

37. Aha!

You realize don't you, that you've just passed the test identifying you as possible right winger.

Right wingers abhor Pat Schroeder because of the changes she made in the military protecting the rights of women.

Its a nearly foolproof test. Beware of Pat Schroeder threads, I mention her name occasionally to see which people pop up.

[BearSquirrel2]

49. No, she's just dumb ...

She might have compassion and that's great. But, ... Pat Schroeder really isn't very bright. Likely she had some really smart people around her. She's kinda the same thing as Bush ... except she is good-stupid instead of evil-stupid.

[MyNameGoesHere]

53. Hehe are you a BITTER Obama supporter because

according to you an idiot is in congress and you are what, Flipping burgers? So are ya bitter? You hate America? Goddamn America? Huh? Huh?

[BearSquirrel2]

54. Teaching math ...

First, I said a stupid person was in Congress. That is, stupid about the legislative process. This is OK, so long as this isn't your job.

Second, I'm teaching math. Yes, and I am bitter at the outsourcing going on. Though, I cling to neither guns nor god. I cling to numbers and bicycles.

Why are Hillary supporters so bitter about her being such a poor presidential candidate?

[MyNameGoesHere]

57. I am not. But then you are a math

teacher I don't expect you to know us "common" folk. It would make your head explode i am afraid.

[BearSquirrel2]

59. I spit at you from my "ivory tower" ...

Well, make up your mind. First I was a lowly burger flipper and now apparently I'm some kind cultural elitist with my "fancy education". I think you need to make up your mind about class distinctions. If you do not expect to be condescended to, you cannot condescend to burger flippers.

For the record, all good work has dignity. A person who carefully polishes floors has dignity. A person who puts the trash cans back in an orderly fashion has dignity. Even the mop guys and sex workers have dignity so long as they strive to do their work well. People who don't care about the outcome of their work, I condescend to them!!

[MyNameGoesHere]

60. I don't have to make up my mind.

it is sarcasm. And from Obama supporters I always expected condescending statements. It's part of the unity, change and we're all Americans jazz that he preaches.

[Hepburn]

6. So now....

...she is a medical doctor, too?

Wow...what a life...law school, med school, dodging sniper fire....:rofl:

[OzarkDem]

17. If you left it up to the doctors it would never happen

It took breast cancer survivors and supporters like Hillary Clinton to move the agenda forward.

I'm not sure why the doctors didn't think it was worth pursuing. You would have to ask them.

[Hepburn]

47. Oh, please.....

...what bullshit.

At this point in time, IMO, you are so full of Hillary Kool, you actually believe the bullshit she spews.

Get well soon.

[stray cat]

7. I think she has been good for medical research funding as a NY senator

[JohnnyLib2]

8. Thanks. This hits home.

Rec.

[Beregond2]

9. And this came out

just when her support among women is flagging. What a coincidence.

Does anyone really imagine that there is a lack of money and effort going into cancer research? The profit motive alone is enough to ensure that. Some things can't be rushed, no matter how much money you throw at them.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

13. McCANE PROMISES FALSIES ON EVERY TABLE

THAT IS GOOD FOR THE CORPORATIONS

[OzarkDem]

20. Bwahahaha!

That sounds about right.

[BearSquirrel2]

10. Do you really think ...

Do you really think that an Obama administration wouldn't increase funding for life sciences? Awareness is about getting screening to treat the disease. A cure is just plain research. You have no idea where it may come from? Just fund good science, eventually it will come.

[OzarkDem]

24. I wish it were that easy

But it takes funding the right research, which often means going out on a limb and actively advocating for changing the way research is done and which research is funded. There are many researchers who haven't been in a big hurry to get things done, and there's a lot of politics over funding.

There's also a reluctance to fund research into environmental factors that cause breast and other cancers. Legislators often have to push really hard for it at risk of making a lot of influential corporations very angry. There's a bill that's been bottled up in Congress for over 6 years to fund research into environmental factors and breast cancer. Its still moving very slowly and getting bottled up in Committees. Clinton and Obama both just helped get it passed out of a Senate committee.

They also have to be willing to tell some programs they're screwing up and need to change their practices.

Obama hasn't demonstrated that kind of leadership so far. Very few Dems in Congress have. Clinton has.

[BearSquirrel2]

31. Fundamental research builds knowledge ...

No ... it's that simple. The move in Washington to "target" funding is unproductive. Cancer research is cancer research. No one knows WHERE the spark of recognition and the chance discoveries will come from. Taking money away from general life science research and FORCING more people to do breast research probably won't produce anything more than scientists working outside of their interest area because that is the only grant they could get.

While we're at it, lets not forget that there are other diseases out there. How about AIDS??? How about Muscular Distrophy? How about prostate cancer? How about Hemophelia? How about prostate cancer, seen any blue ribbons lately? I'm sorry that Hillary just hasn't shown any leadership in these areas. So sorry to here that she is calloused to the plight of every patient that DOES NOT suffer from breast cancer.

[OzarkDem]

39. There's plenty of research going on

Smart programs don't just target funding, they make it multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary, even to include basic science research. Everyone needs to participate.

Cancer research is far to specialized and complex to simply sit back and let "basic" scientific research lead the way. Researchers specialize in different areas of study, often on the cutting edge of research and they need to be allowed to pursue it.

As for Clinton's support of research into other medical areas, she covers them all. She's the best person a researcher can have in their corner to get what they need.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5487723&mesg_id=5488160

[BearSquirrel2]

50. So you're saying ...

So you're saying that Clinton is for "good stuff" specifically. But, she just favors cancer research over aids, childhood leukemia and a host of other diseases.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

11. HOW ABOUT REPTILE DYSFUNCTION

PANDERING LIKE A REPUBLICAN

[OzarkDem]

16. No, she started this effort in the 1990's

and she wants to finish it.

[BearSquirrel2]

34. She "started" Universal Health Care ...

She "started" universal health care in the 90s. Now she wants to force everyone to buy insurance from those assholes running the insurance companies.

[OzarkDem]

35. You obviously haven't read her plan

or you would know you are wrong. Her plan offers a choice between heavily regulated private insurance or a public plan like Medicare.

[BearSquirrel2]

51. And she's gonna pay for it ???

And she is going to pay for it? And will she adequately fund the public plan or let it starve to satisfy her very generous contributors in the health insurance industry (quite ironic)?

The idea of Universal Health Care is VERY simple. Do what Canada does. Health care is included with citizenship. That's it and that's all there is to it!!! Keep copays low and focus on preventative care. If you get cancer, we won't deny you care like the asshole insurance companies. You nip it in the bud.

Universal Health Care helps entrepreneurs as it allows them to focus on innovating rather than worry about whether they are covered. They can also attract top talent as they again do not have to worry about covering them and forcing them to take a giant risk in losing the corporate umbrella.

Health insurance companies make boochoo bucks ripping off the American public. I doubt they wanted Hillary to stop their gravy train when they donated so generously to her candidacy.

[AllentownJake]

18. Either one of them

Would be a huge boon for medical research. I have a friend who just got his doctorate in Bio-egineering and the Bushies seriously cut the funding of research at the univeristies.

[OzarkDem]

21. Yes, Bush and the GOP in Congress have cut funding

for research.

But we have to realize that research doesn't go anywhere if people don't have access to health care. The rising number of uninsured cancer patients has begun to have a negative impact on research and clinical trials, too. Its really slowing things down.

Plus, it doesn't help to have a cure if so many people can't afford it.

I wish Obama were more active in this area. Most of what he's done so far is support the stuff that Bill and Hillary put in place.

[AllentownJake]

23. I don't think she can get her plan passed

I think we have to take steps towards insurance for everyone but I don't think with the moderates in the DNC and the GOP that it will get passed the way she wants. I work in Medicaid so I know how bad it is out there...trust me.

[OzarkDem]

33. Breast cancer survivors will help get it passed

as will other people who have been victims of a lack of health insurance.

Let us all storm Capitol Hill (that's how we got everything passed in the Clinton years) against impossible odds by both shaming the members into supporting it, and reporting their names to the public when they didn't.

But as we learned during the Clinton/Gore years, you have to have someone down at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue putting on the pressure, making the phone calls, calling in favors and twisting arms to get it done. That's where the rubber meets the road.

I'll never forget getting ready for our final lobbying assault on the House to get the Breast Cancer Treatment Act passed as Congress tried to recess. As we prepared to hit the House office buildings and lobby our targets, we got a phone call from the WH that said - "You tell them (the key members of Congress) the President is waiting right now for them to pass this bill and will sign it the moment it gets to his desk. He wants a clean bill, no amendments. And he wants it before they recess."

One of the women lobbying that day was a survivor who had over $80,000 in unpaid medical bills who worked a job all through her chemo treatment. Two days later the bill was sent to the floor for a vote and passed. Bill signed it. Today, thousands of uninsured women diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer get enrolled in a special Medicaid program that covers them until their treatment and follow up care is finished. You will never, ever get me to say a bad word about that man. Never.

[stratomagi]

25. Remember when Dubya pulled one out of his ass and said we were going to Mars?

This is kind of like that.

[Pierre.Suave]

29. HAHAHAH

in his defense, he is already there and just waiting for the rest of us to catch up...

:P

[OzarkDem]

38. No it isn't

and thanks for showing to everyone visiting the forum what ignorant jerks some Obama supporters can be.

BTW, I would love it if you would turn this into the latest excuse to smear Clinton and make Obama look bad.

Please, oh, please, oh please!

[Pierre.Suave]

40. ...

You just killed any chance you had of anyone taking you seriously... and hurt your candidate...

Way to go.


pathetic...:eyes:

[OzarkDem]

41. Comparing curing breast cancer to Bush going to Mars?

No, that's not how Democrats talk. Sorry if you think they do.

[stratomagi]

48. No i'm comparing one false commitment in a time of desperation

to another.

[rodeodance]

42. stop it !! Cancer is serious and women die. Grow up!

[Pierre.Suave]

43. You are telling me that???

Serious?

wow...

[PseudoIntellect]

44. Good for her. And also, good for her for

the plan on decreasing the murder rate by 50%.

[DearAbby]

45. To have Bill Clinton...Laying on the hands

faith healing. He received his certificate from the Benny Hinn "heal em and steal from em" School of Faith healing.

[JeffR]

46. One of the best friends I ever had died of breast cancer.

She left three young kids behind. She was 29.

I applaud Senator Clinton's initiative.

[OzarkDem]

52. Thanks

Sorry about your friend. I've lost many friends and family members as we all have. Bill's mom Virginia died of breast cancer also.

This is a realistic goal, for all cancers and we have to get it done.

[SoCalDem]

55. It's all about the benjamins..

Poor women have little access to health care..and given the choice between paying the rent or getting mammograms, they pay the rent..

REAL pay raises & a REAL universal health plan (not hers or Obama's) are what we need..

health insurance is the PROBLEM..not the solution

[Blue_Roses]

56. this is something that is definitely needed NOW!

we don't need awareness alone. We need awareness and a damn CURE!

Kudos to her if she fights for this:thumbsup:

[WinkyDink]

58. No politician is going to investigate "environmental pollutants".