HPV legislation in California

Women in Government Ratings

Women in Government, a non-profit network of state level women legislators, receives significant funding from the pharmaceutical industry, including Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, and Digene Corporation -- all with products related to HPV vaccination and testing. According to their report, "The 'State' of Cervical Cancer Prevention in America - 2008" :

POPULATION: 36,457,549

Incidence & Mortality (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Cervical Cancer Incidence Rate: 8.0/100,000 (1/ 1)
• Cervical Cancer Incidence Rate/Race: White: 8.2, Black: 7.0, Hispanic: 11.8, Asian/Pacific Islander: 7.9, American Indian/Alaskan: 2.9
• Cervical Cancer Mortality Rate: 2.3/100,000 (1 / 1)
• Cervical Cancer Mortality Rate/Race: White: 2.2, Black: 3.3, Hispanic: 3.6, Asian/Pacific Islander: 2.7

Screening (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Cervical Cancer Screening Rate: 84% (1 / 1)
• Cervical Cancer Screening Rate/Race: White: 85.7%, Black: 90.0%, Hispanic: 82.6%, Asian/Pacific Islander: 81.3%
• % Uninsured/Unscreened: 23.3% (1 / 1)
• Medicaid Coverage HPV Testing: Restricted (0 / 0)

Healthcare Access (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Rate Uninsured Women: 22% (0 / 0)
• % Low Income/Uninsured Women: 40%

Policy Initiatives and Infrastructure (2008 Score / Cumulative Score (2005–2008)

Screening Requirements (0 / 2)

• There are no new screening requirements.

Task Forces (0 / 1)

• There is no new cervical cancer prevention task force legislation.

Access to HPV Vaccines (1 / 1)

• AB 1429 requires health plans and insurers that cover cervical cancer treatment to provide coverage for the HPV vaccine. Vetoed by Gov. Schwarzenegger.
• AB 16 would have required 6th-grade girls to receive the HPV vaccine as a condition of school admittance; did not leave committee.

HPV Vaccine Information Programs (0 / 0)

• There is no HPV vaccine information activity.

Miscellaneous (1 / 2)

• ACR 15 would recognize January as Cervical Cancer Awareness Month; referred to committee.

Additional Notes

• Women In Government held a state briefing in April with state legislators, expert speakers and public health advocates, including the California Women’s Commission. California is one of four states that does not offer unrestricted HPV testing for women enrolled in the state Medicaid program. HPV testing is only offered for resolving inconclusive Pap tests. However, Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled in HMOs do have the option of HPV

testing for routine screening along with a Pap test.

Annual Ratings

• 2008: Fair (10 out of 22 points)
• 2007: Good (9 out of 18 points)

Articles and resources

SourceWatch Resources

• Gardasil
• GlaxoSmithKline
• Merck
• Women in Government
• Edelman
• The Marketing of Gardasil in Australia
• The Marketing of Gardasil in Canada
• The Marketing of Gardasil in Europe
• The Marketing of Gardasil in New Zealand
• The Marketing of Gardasil in the United States
• Direct-to-consumer advertising
• Disease Mongering
• Drug industry

External links

• Judith Siers-Poisson, The Politics and PR of Cervical Cancer, a four part series, PRWatch.org, July, 2007.