The short answer
A Medicaid group with no income or resource test, for people under 65 who were screened through the CDC's NBCCEDP, need breast or cervical cancer treatment, and have no other creditable coverage.
Created by the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000; every state and D.C. now offers it, with details set state by state.
The federal criteria are: under 65, screened under the CDC's NBCCEDP, found to need treatment, no other creditable coverage for that treatment, and not already in mandatory Medicaid.
There is no income or resource test on this eligibility group itself — the income screen happens earlier, at NBCCEDP screening.
CDC's NBCCEDP screens people with no insurance, or insurance that does not cover screening, at or below 250% of the federal poverty level: ages 40 to 64 for breast, 21 to 64 for cervical.
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The full explanation.
The one-sentence version
There is a Medicaid eligibility group written specifically for you if three things are true. You were screened for breast or cervical cancer through the CDC's national screening program. You are under 65. And you need treatment. That group has no income or resource test attached to it.
Congress created it in the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000. States adopted it one by one. All of them now run a version. In Medicaid paperwork it is usually called the eligibility group for "individuals needing treatment for breast or cervical cancer." On the ground, people call it the BCCTP.
Part one: the CDC screening program
The gateway is the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP), run by the CDC. It funds 71 award recipients to provide free or low-cost screening. Those recipients are states, territories, and American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and tribal organizations.
CDC lists who may qualify for that screening:
- You have no insurance, or your insurance does not cover screening exams
- Your yearly income is at or below 250% of the federal poverty level
- Ages 40 to 64 for breast cancer screening, ages 21 to 64 for cervical cancer screening, with exceptions for younger and older people
Breast services include a mammogram, screening MRI, clinical breast exam and diagnostic services. Cervical services include a Pap test, HPV test and diagnostic services.
To find your program, go to cdc.gov. Select your state, territory or tribe on the NBCCEDP page. That gives you the local award recipient's contact details. Or call CDC-INFO at 800-232-4636.
Part two: the Medicaid treatment group
Screening is what finds the cancer. This is what pays to treat it. Under the federal rules for this eligibility group, a person must:
- Be under age 65
- Have been screened for breast and cervical cancer under the CDC's NBCCEDP
- Have been found to need treatment for breast or cervical cancer
- Not have other creditable coverage for treatment of breast or cervical cancer
- Not already be eligible for and enrolled in mandatory Medicaid coverage under the state plan
No income or resource test is applied to this group. The income screen already happened, at the 250% federal poverty level line for NBCCEDP screening. That is why someone can be over the ordinary Medicaid income limit in their state and still be covered here.
What you get, and for how long
Approval means full Medicaid. You get the same benefit package as anyone else on Medicaid in your state, not a cancer-only card. That covers surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, imaging, prescription drugs and follow-up visits.
Precancerous conditions of the breast or cervix count as needing treatment in this group.
Coverage continues while your treating health professional confirms that you are still in treatment. So there is periodic recertification. It ends when treatment finishes, or when you no longer meet the criteria. For example, you turn 65, or you gain other coverage. Ask your caseworker at the start what triggers a review, and what your clinician has to sign.
How to apply, step by step
- Call your state's NBCCEDP award recipient first, even if you were screened somewhere else. Many states have arrangements to enrol people screened by partner clinics. Rules on who counts as "screened under the program" vary. This is the single most important question to ask, in your state, out loud.
- Ask them to walk you through the BCCTP application. Screening program staff do this routinely. They often complete much of it with you.
- Get your clinician's certification. A doctor or other treating clinician has to document the diagnosis and the need for treatment. Ask your oncology office who signs this, and how fast they can turn it round.
- Apply through your state Medicaid agency if the screening program sends you there. Find your agency in the state directory on Medicaid.gov.
- Ask about retroactive coverage for care you have already had. Medicaid rules allow benefits to be covered for up to three months before the month of application, if you would have been eligible then.
If you do not qualify
Some things rule out this particular door. Being over 65. Having other coverage. Having a cancer that is not breast or cervical. None of that rules out the other doors.
Ask your state about medically needy spend-down, where medical bills you owe count toward eligibility. Ask about ordinary MAGI Medicaid too.
Two organizations can help you argue your case. Triage Cancer at 424-258-4628 publishes a state-by-state guide to breast and cervical screening and treatment coverage. Patient Advocate Foundation at (800) 532-5274 provides free case management when an application or a bill goes wrong.
Words to know
Tap any term to see what it means.
Common questions
What is the BCCTP?
The Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program is a Medicaid path that lets states provide full coverage to people who need treatment for breast or cervical cancer, or certain precancerous conditions.
Who can qualify?
You generally must need treatment for breast or cervical cancer or a precancerous condition, be a U.S. citizen or qualified non-citizen, and, in many states, have been diagnosed through a program affiliated with the CDC's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program.
What if my income is too high for regular Medicaid?
You may still qualify through the BCCTP even if your income is too high for other Medicaid programs in your state. That is one of the program's key benefits.
What does it cover?
People who qualify get full Medicaid coverage that includes treatment for their breast or cervical cancer or precancerous condition. In some states there is a standard treatment period, with extensions possible.
How do I apply?
If you were screened through a CDC-affiliated program, that program can often help you apply. You can also contact your state's BCCTP or Medicaid agency. A doctor typically completes paperwork verifying the diagnosis.
Questions to ask your doctor
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Your next step
Your care team's answer depends on your treatment — ask them directly.
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Where to get help with this, by name
A hospital social worker or financial navigator is the best first call if you have one. If you do not, these organisations help at no cost to you.
- Patient Advocate Foundation — (800) 532-5274. Case managers take on insurance appeals, denials and medical debt with you. Free.
- TotalAssist (Patient Advocate Foundation's copay programme, merged with the PAN Foundation in 2026) — 866-512-3861. Help with medication copays, coinsurance and deductibles, insurance premiums, and office-visit and administration charges on the day of treatment, across nearly 150 conditions.
- CancerCare — 800-813-HOPE (4673). Oncology social workers, free counselling and support groups. Limited financial help with transport, home care, child care and lodging for people in active treatment who meet their income guidelines — funding is first-come, first-served, so call to ask what is open.
- Triage Cancer — 424-258-4628. Free legal and financial navigation: insurance, employment rights, disability.
- Blood Cancer United (formerly the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) — (800) 955-4572. Information Specialists answer questions on treatment, insurance and financial problems.
- HealthCare.gov — 1-800-318-2596. For questions about the external review process — the independent review your insurer is required by law to accept.
Your state Department of Insurance regulates insurers and takes consumer complaints. On Medicare, your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) gives free one-to-one counselling. If a specific drug is the problem, ask the manufacturer about its patient assistance programme.
Phone numbers checked 31 July 2026. Programmes and eligibility change — if a number has moved, please tell us.
Plain-language explanation of the published sources cited on this page. AI-assisted, source-checked, not clinician-reviewed.
Sources last checked: 2026-07-31 what this meansLast updated: 2026-08-05Next planned review: 2027-07-31
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How this page was created
Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes. We do not employ clinicians and do not intend to — our work is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and checked line by line against the sources listed on it. That confirms the sources support what the page says. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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