A bill supported by Wisconsin’s Senate Majority Leader would require health insurance policies to provide coverage for diagnostic breast cancer examinations for those at an increased risk.
9th District State Senator Devin LeMahieu stated on WOMT’s Be My Guest program that the version of Senate Bill 264 has been around since he was first elected, but has not made it out of the Wisconsin State Legislature.
Sen. LeMahieu says this is the farthest the bill has made it, and he finds it very important to pass.
The Oostburg Republican reports that about 40% of women have dense breast tissue, which makes it hard for a doctor to find a mass during a mammogram.
An MRI would be covered by insurance to better help find it.
Sen. LeMahieu says critics are concerned that it will cost insurers more money, but he says it could save money.
“When you catch cancer earlier, when it hasn’t spread to the lymph nodes or gotten in your blood or other areas, it has an opportunity to really save money and more importantly, actually save lives,” he explained.
According to the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, the bill will not eliminate requirements for health insurance to cover women who have a history of breast cancer, nor will it stop coverage for annual mammograms for women who are above the age of 50.
