American Cancer Society: Funding Cuts Could Cost Lives

The American Cancer Society said Wednesday that the across-the-board federal cuts that went into effect this month and proposed New York spending reductions could cost residents in the state their lives.

The group said the federal cuts alone will mean 1,670 fewer free screenings for breast and cervical cancer for New York women who have no health insurance.

The federal cuts amount to a 5 percent drop in cancer screenings in New York, and Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposed budget would add a 10 percent cut to the program, according to the American Cancer Society.