All Women Count Program Expands Eligibility In South Dakota

A policy change will allow more women in South Dakota to have access to vital medical services.

Effective September 1, the state Department of Health is expanding eligibility for the All Women Count! Program by lowering the minimum age from 30 to 21, allowing more South Dakota women to access breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic procedures.

Cervical cancer screening will be available to income-eligible South Dakota women ages 21 to 64. The change aligns the program’s cervical cancer screening eligibility with U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations, which recommend cervical cancer screening beginning at age 21.

An estimated 1/3 of South Dakota women who are diagnosed with cervical cancer die because of it.

Also, women ages 21 to 29 who have a sign or symptom suspicious for breast cancer, such as a breast lump, will now be eligible for breast cancer diagnostic services if they meet the program’s income requirements.

Breast cancer services will be available to:

Women ages 40 to 64
Women ages 30 to 39 who are at high risk for breast cancer
Women ages 21 to 39 who have a sign or symptom suspicious for breast cancer

Women under age 40 who need a breast cancer screening or diagnostic service must receive pre-authorization from the AWC! Program before the service is provided.

Breast cancer is the 4th leading cause of cancer deaths among South Dakota women.

The All Women Count! Program provides breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services at no cost to eligible women through participating healthcare providers across South Dakota. The program serves women who are uninsured or underinsured and have a household income at or below 250 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.