Posted on November 4, 2022
EAST LYME- The Radiological Society of Connecticut has recognized State Rep. Holly Cheeseman for her advocacy of patients and legislation that will encourage women to have life-saving breast cancer screenings.
“We are sending a very important message; early detection of breast cancer saves lives. The data does not lie, with early diagnosis there is a 98.6% survival rate within the first 5 years,” said Rep. Cheeseman. I was proud to work on legislation to enhance the insurance coverage for women who need to have their annual mammogram, as well as any necessary follow-up treatments at no cost to the patient.”
The Radiological Society of Connecticut is pleased to acknowledge Rep. Holly Cheeseman’s strong support for measures that have increased access to breast cancer screenings and diagnostic tests, with no patient co-pay or deductible through Public Act 22-90 that was enacted this session. The new law, which starts January 1, 2023, will help encourage more women to have their annual mammograms. We know that early detection of breast cancer will save lives. We commend Rep. Cheeseman for her strong support of the new law.
SB 358, which encourages insurer coverage of preventative care and early detection for multiple cancer diagnoses that threatens women’s public health.
This bill expands insurance coverage requirements for mammograms, ultrasounds, magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) for breast screenings under certain commercial health insurance policies. It also requires the policies to cover certain procedures related to breast cancer treatment, including breast biopsies; certain prophylactic mastectomies; and breast reconstruction surgery, subject to certain conditions.
Additionally, the bill requires these health insurance policies to cover additional health services related to the testing and treatment of ovarian cancer: (1) genetic testing, including for breast cancer gene one (BRCA1) and breast cancer gene two (BRCA2), under certain circumstances.
(2) post-treatment CA-125 monitoring (i.e., a test measuring the amount of the cancer antigen 125 protein); (3) routine ovarian cancer screenings, including surveillance tests for certain insureds.
According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, except for skin cancers. About 1 in 8 (12%) women in the US will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime.
Dr. Todd Blue said, “We want to thank Rep. Cheeseman for all of her good work on breast cancer legislation. It is a point of pride that her father, David Hayes, was chief of radiology for many years at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital.”
Dr. Blue practices radiology in Connecticut and is a member of the executive committee of the Radiological Society of Connecticut.