[Madison, Wis.] — Today, leading advocates for women’s health praised a new bill, authored by Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara and Rep. Nate Gustafson, which increases critical access to essential breast cancer screenings. Roughly two out of five women have dense breast tissue where a mammogram alone cannot effectively detect evidence of breast cancer, and this bill makes it easier for women to receive additional life-saving testing.
Health insurers in Wisconsin are now required to provide one annual mammographic screening to women over 50, and two screenings to women aged 45-49 who meet certain criteria, at no out-of-pocket cost to the patient. Unfortunately, the supplemental or diagnostic breast screenings across the country can range from $234 to over $1,000 in out-of-pocket costs, which imposes a major financial barrier to those who need it.
The legislation introduced today removes the cost barrier by requiring health insurance policies to cover diagnostic or supplemental breast screenings. Women with dense breast tissue may be 4-6 times more likely to get breast cancer, making the treatment critical.
“This legislation can make an immediate impact for thousands of people who require diagnostic or supplemental breast imaging yet are unable to afford it and often forego the tests,” said Molly Guthrie, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at Susan G. Komen.
“A woman with dense breasts deserves the same quality screening as a woman who doesn’t have dense breast tissue. If we truly care about saving lives from breast cancer then we have to ensure that any policy that benefits one group of women, benefits all women,” said Dawn Anderson of The Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition, Wisconsin’s foremost breast cancer advocacy organization. “One size screening does not fit all.”
“Early detection can be lifesaving, making it imperative that the Legislature removes the cost barrier forcing women to choose between paying a bill and obtaining a critical test,” said Dr. Ian Weissman, President of Wisconsin Radiological Society.
“Access to preventative screening is critical to catching breast cancer early and ensuring that women can fight back,” said Gail Zeamer, a health advocate and breast cancer fighter. “I discovered I had stage 3 breast cancer even though I had kept up with receiving mammograms regularly. These screenings would have caught my cancer earlier and probably saved my life. I hope Wisconsin lawmakers will agree that this bill is an important step to protecting thousands of women across Wisconsin.”
