WASHINGTON, DC - Each year, thousands of Americans die of cancer that was detected too late.

In an effort to help ensure more Americans have access to modern and potentially life-saving health checks and cancer screenings in their own communities, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) is teaming up with U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) to introduce the Mobile Cancer Screening Act, a bipartisan bill to increase the availability of cancer detection services in underserved communities across the United States.

The Mobile Cancer Screening Act would offer up to $15 million annually in federal grants to help local hospitals and health centers purchase mobile Computed Tomography (CT) screening units to serve local communities in rural, isolated, and medically underserved communities. The mobile screening units would help make a positive difference, bringing life-saving care directly to patients in often overlooked areas who might not otherwise access preventive screenings.

"The Mobile Cancer Screening Act would make cancer screenings more convenient and accessible. Detecting cancer early offers patients a much better chance of treating and beating it. Increasing the number of mobile screening units across the country will help put these units in more communities and help save lives," said Senator Reed. "Cancer screenings don't have to be invasive, but when it comes to cancer detection, it pays to be proactive. These units will help people get properly diagnosed, treated, and give them the best shot to beat cancer."

Current federal guidelines require most private insurers to cover annual cancer screenings for individuals at high risk due to their personal medical history. Still, many eligible patients encounter barriers to annual screenings, including lack of transportation access and long travel distances, leading to poorer cancer outcomes.

Reed noted the bipartisan bill is essential in the wake of the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill that President Trump signed into law to cut Medicaid and enact new stipulations that could lead to the closure of more rural hospitals, leading to further travel distances and increased health disparities for individuals in rural communities seeking health care.

The Mobile Cancer Screening Act has been introduced in the U.S. House of representatives by Congressman Gabe Evans (R-CO-08) and Congressman D. Raul Ruiz (D-CA-25).

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