Uterine Cancer Now Covered By 9/11 Survivors’ Health Program After Years Of Pressure

Topline

After years of pressure from 9/11 survivors and first responders, uterine cancer is the latest addition to the growing list of covered health conditions under the World Trade Center’s Health Program, federal health officials decided Wednesday, allowing individuals connected to the 2001 attacks to receive free treatment for the condition.

Key Facts

Many individuals who were part of the rescue and recovery after 9/11 or were subject to the dust created by the attack were exposed to carcinogens that left them with illnesses, uterine cancer among them.

However, officials initially believed there was a lack of sufficient evidence linking 9/11 chemical exposure to uterine cancer, a document from the federal Department of Health and Human Services announcing the change in policy revealed.

The move comes after an aggressive appeal to HHS from Rep. Frank Pallone Jr (D-N.J.) earlier this month, and a proposal to start covering uterine cancer released last year.

Some women have been waiting more than ten years for uterine cancer to be added, Pallone wrote in a January 9 letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, saying “it has now been eight months since the rule was proposed and these women and their families are still waiting.”

WTC Health Program Administrator John Howard said the decision fills a critical gap in coverage—before Wednesday’s announcement the only female-focused cancer covered under the list was breast, which has been on this list since 2013.

Big Number

As of September 2022, there are more than 120,000 responders and survivors enrolled in the World Trade Center health program, with women making up 23% of the program’s participants, according to CDC data.

Key Background

Survivors and first responders have fought to ensure the World Trade Center health program maintains funding since its founding in 2010. Many of those patients are likely to benefit from this addition for the rest of their lives, as WTC’s Health Program was reauthorized until 2090 in 2015. First responders and survivors can get free screenings, counseling and, if needed, treatments with no out-of-pocket costs for illnesses covered under the program. Some members of Congress attempted to fill a funding gap in the program late last year, but congressional leadership cut the measure from a $1.7 trillion omnibus bill passed to fund the government

What We Don’t Know

Just how many people this will affect.

Further Reading

The only cancer that won’t get covered for women of 9/11 (The Fuller Project)

9/11 Survivors And Thrivers (Forbes)