Sen. Pat Roberts apologizes for flippant comment about mammograms

With quips like this, it's almost as if Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) got his degree from the Mike Huckabee School of Joke-Telling.

On Thursday, Talking Points Memo reporter Alice Ollstein tweeted that she had asked Roberts if he supported getting rid of "essential health benefits" as part of the American Health Care Act, the Republicans' proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act. His response? "I wouldn't want to lose my mammograms."

Roberts quickly became a prime example of a boob that doesn't need a mammogram. People immediately started calling him out, including Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), who tweeted: "Cancer is no joke. Mammograms save lives. Same reason we pay for prostate exams. Government shouldn't decide what care women can access." Roberts did tweet an apology, saying he "deeply" regretted his comments "on a very important topic. Mammograms are essential to women's health, and I never intended to indicate otherwise."

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