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Gail Zeamer, a Wisconsin resident and breast cancer advocate, received yearly mammograms. Yet her cancer went undetected for seven years. Like nearly half of women, Gail had dense breast tissue, which raises breast cancer risk and can hide tumors on standard mammograms. She was not offered additional imaging, such as an ultrasound or MRI, that might have caught the disease sooner.  

Gail passed away in 2024, but her fight continued through Gail’s Law — recently passed by the Wisconsin Legislature and signed into law by Governor Evers last month.

The law expands no-cost coverage beyond standard mammograms so that people who need supplemental or diagnostic breast imaging can receive it at no cost to them. In passing Gail’s Law, Wisconsin closes a long-standing gap in coverage and ensures that more patients can receive the imaging, and the answers, they need.  

Wisconsin’s legislative leadership matters – not just for patients here at home, but as a model for the rest of the country.  

When a routine mammogram reveals something suspicious, additional imaging is critical. When women have dense breast tissue, genetic mutations, or a strong family history, advanced imaging is a must. Yet for years, insurance plans have treated this care differently than screening mammograms, leaving patients with bills that could total hundreds, even thousands of dollars.  

Wisconsin lawmakers recognized the danger in that gap and moved to close it. But state policy can only go so far. Many Wisconsin residents still face inconsistent coverage depending on their insurance plan, and millions of Americans outside Wisconsin continue to confront impossible financial choices when timely breast imaging is needed.  

In a recent national poll commissioned by the Alliance for Breast Cancer Policy, 95% of respondents said insurers should fully cover all recommended breast imaging – not just the initial screening mammogram. Preventive care should allow for the early detection of disease, voters conveyed, not delay answers due to cost.  

That sentiment mirrors Wisconsin’s approach. And it reinforces why federal action is needed. The Access to Breast Cancer Diagnosis Act (S.1500/H.R. 3037) would extend the same protections that Wisconsin adopted nationwide, eliminating out-of-pocket costs for medically necessary breast imaging for all people with private insurance.  

Support for the policy is especially strong when voters consider those most likely to fall through the cracks: rural patients, lower-income families, Black and Hispanic women, and younger women.  

The stakes are high. In 2026, an estimated 42,670 people will die from breast cancer nationwide, and in Wisconsin alone, about 6,030 people will receive a new diagnosis. When breast cancer is detected early, five-year survival rates can reach 98%. Early diagnosis saves lives – and reduces long-term health care costs.  

The passage of Gail’s Law is a resounding triumph for the people of Wisconsin, and it sets a powerful example for the rest of the country. But access to early diagnosis should never depend on the state where someone lives. Congress should follow Wisconsin’s lead and ensure that lifesaving breast cancer screenings and diagnostic imaging are within reach for everyone, no matter their ZIP code.

Molly Guthrie is vice president of advocacy and policy at Susan G. Komen.