In Kansas, a lack of affordable health insurance is jeopardizing the lives of low-income women who may have breast or cervical cancer.

This is because the Kansas Early Detection Works program, which provides uninsured low-income women in the state with breast and cervical cancer screenings at no cost, has depleted its operating funds and will delay almost all cancer screenings until July 1. To many, a delay of only 3 months doesn't seem long - unless you have cancer.

According to Kaiser's Daily Health Policy Report, women who inquire about the program will be placed on a waiting list and will be screened when funding becomes available.

These screenings are often covered by medical insurance, and once again we find that without affordable health insurance for all Americans those who can't afford to pay are more likely to suffer the ill effects of poor health care. Just earlier this year the American Cancer Society found that the uninsured were more likely to be diagnosed with cancer in its later stages.

Only 5,800 of the at least 27,000 women in Kansas who qualify to receive no-cost screenings have done so since July 1, 2007, though the program still ran out of money too soon. Hopefully, more affordable health insurance policies will appear in 2009 to protect women from these cancers, both of which have excellent cure rates when found in early stages.