Screen to Save Act

The Congress possesses the power to regulate commerce among the several states, and to provide for the general welfare, as enumerated in Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 and Clause 3. The provision of no-cost coverage for annual screening mammography beginning at age 30, through amendments to the Social Security Act and the Public Health Service Act, falls within the scope of these powers, as it addresses a matter of interstate commerce and public health. The Federalist No. 23 affirms the necessity of granting the federal government powers commensurate with the objects of its charge, and here th…

This bill exceeds the powers delegated to the federal government. Nowhere in the Constitution is the Congress empowered to prescribe the terms of private health contracts or mandate the coverage of specific medical procedures for the general citizenry. The enumerated powers of Article I, Section 8 are few and defined; the power to regulate commerce among the several states does not extend to the internal police of health, which remains reserved to the states and the people. The General Welfare Clause is not a separate grant of authority, but a limitation upon the spending power, confined to th…

Congress possesses authority to enact this legislation under its enumerated power to lay and collect taxes to provide for the general welfare, as articulated in Article I, Section 8, Clause 1. The bill operates as a condition on federal healthcare expenditures and insurance standards, fitting within the spending power's legitimate scope. While I caution against expanding federal authority beyond its enumerated limits, this measure directly addresses a national concern for preventive health and attaches to existing federal programs (Medicare, Medicaid, and federally regulated insurance markets)…

This bill, directing the provision of no-cost screening mammography through federal health programs and insurance regulation, is a legitimate exercise of Congress's power to tax and spend for the general welfare and to regulate interstate commerce. The Social Security Act and the Public Health Service Act operate within the sphere of federal authority to provide for the public welfare and to regulate commercial activities that affect the national economy. The coverage mandates and financial incentives attached to federal health programs are appropriate means to achieve the legitimate end of pu…