Sage program helps uninsured women get cancer screenings close to home

Cost and transportation are often the difference between getting screened and putting it off. Through Sage, patient navigator Shelly Aguirre helps women age 40 and older who may not have full insurance coverage find breast and cervical cancer screenings close to home, rather than driving long distances for care. With more than 450 partner clinics across Minnesota, the program turns an abstract public-health promise into a practical appointment.

The need has grown as Minnesota’s uninsured rate rose from 3.8% in 2023 to 5.8% in 2025, about 116,000 more uninsured Minnesotans. Sage has provided screenings for 35 years, and Minnesota was one of the first four states to receive federal funding to build a free breast and cervical cancer screening program for uninsured or underinsured, lower-income people. The program is part of the federal National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program and is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the State of Minnesota.

Minnesota Department of Health says Sage helps low-income Minnesotans and people without adequate insurance get screening, diagnostic services after abnormal results and referrals to treatment. Women who want help can reach Sage navigators at 1-888-643-2584, where staff can help determine eligibility and schedule appointments at partner clinics statewide. Current eligibility materials also say that, as of Feb. 1, 2024, Sage no longer pays for screening and diagnostic services for people ages 21 to 29 or 65 and older.

If a screening finds something abnormal, Sage can keep the patient connected to follow-up care, and women who need treatment may qualify for Medical Assistance for Breast or Cervical Cancer, or MA-BC. That backstop matters because breast cancer is the most common invasive cancer diagnosed in Minnesota women. In 2022, 5,105 Minnesota women were diagnosed with breast cancer, and the disease remains the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the state. Between 2018 and 2022, 797 female Minnesotans were diagnosed with cervical cancer and 218 died from it.

State health officials say transportation, insurance coverage and the cost of care can all keep women from getting screened. In St. Louis County, Sage offers a direct answer to those barriers: a nearby clinic, a navigator who can help remove the paperwork and scheduling hurdles, and a path to diagnostic care and treatment if screening shows a problem.