HPV legislation in Florida

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: 18,089,888

Incidence & Mortality (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Cervical Cancer Incidence Rate: 9.2/100,000 (1/ 1)
• Cervical Cancer Incidence Rate/Race: White: 9.0 , Black: 12.0, Asian/Pacific Islander: 7.9
• Cervical Cancer Mortality Rate: 2.5/100,000 (1 / 1)
• Cervical Cancer Mortality Rate/Race: White: 2.3 , Black: 4.4, Hispanic: 1/4

Screening (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Cervical Cancer Screening Rate: 82.8% (1 / 1)
• Cervical Cancer Screening Rate/Race: White: 84.1%, Black: 80%, Hispanic: 81.5%
• % Uninsured/Unscreened: 28.1% (1 / 1)
• Medicaid Coverage HPV Testing: Unrestricted (2 / 2)

Healthcare Access (2008 Score / 2007 Score)

• Rate Uninsured Women: 24% (0 / 1)
• % Low Income/Uninsured Women: 45%

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

Screening Requirements (0 / 1)

• There are no new screening requirements.

Task Forces (0 / 2)

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

Access to HPV Vaccines (1 / 1)

• SB 660/HB 561 would prohibit certain students from entering school without the HPV vaccine and would require public and private schools to provide information on HPV and the HPV vaccine to parents of certain children; died in Committee on Education.
• SB 86 would require health plans and insurers to cover the HPV vaccine and the Board of Medicine to establish practice guidelines for physicians to provide information about the HPV vaccine to parents of girls; withdrawn.

HPV Vaccine Information Programs (0 / 0)

• There is no HPV vaccine information activity.

Miscellaneous (0 / 1)

• There is no new miscellaneous cervical cancer prevention activity.

Additional Notes

• Women In Government held a state briefing in March, co-hosted with the Florida Cancer Control and Research Advisory Council and the Junior Leagues of Florida.

Annual Ratings

• 2008: Good (11 out of 22 points)
• 2007: Good (11 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.