Breast Cancer Bill Sponsored By Montco Lawmaker Passes PA Senate

HARRISBURG — Two bills aimed at improving breast cancer screening for women who are at high-risk for the disease have cleared one chamber of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and one of the measures was sponsored by a Montgomery County Republican.

Senate Bills 1225 and 1330 will now head to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for consideration.

The first measure, SB 1225, which was sponsored by State Sen. Bob Mensch, R-Montgomery, eliminates out-of-pocket costs for breast MRI and ultrasound tests for women with high-risk conditions such as dense breast tissue, a family history of breast cancer, personal cancer history, genetic predisposition or prior radiation therapy.

Senate Bill 1330, sponsored by Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland, removes costs associated with genetic testing and counseling services for those with a family history of breast and ovarian cancers.

Ward, who herself received a breast cancer diagnosis in 2020, learned about the BRCA2 genetic mutation in her family by receiving genetic testing, according to a legislative news release.

"Informed decisions about our health now, can save the lives of future generations to come," Ward said in a statement.

Ward called Senate Bill 1330 a "significant step on our path to ensuring early detection and targeted therapies are possible for women with a history of breast and ovarian cancers."

Mensch also praised the passage of the two proposals, stating that the "votes bring us closer to ensuring that high-risk women in Pennsylvania have affordable access to the early detection of breast cancer."

Mensch, Ward and members of the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition recently congregated at the State Capitol to hail the passage of the two measures.

The bills, if they become law, will "arm the women of Pennsylvania with the best tools possible to find breast cancer at its earliest, most treatable stage — without having to worry about the cost," PA Breast Cancer Coalition President Pat Halpin-Murphy said in a statement.

"We comment these joint efforts of Senator Bob Mensch and Senator Kim Ward that will undoubtedly save lives," Halpin-Murphy stated.

The PA Breast Cancer Coalition is a nonprofit organization that supports breast cancer survivors and their families with educational programming, legislative advocacy and breast cancer research grants.

The passage of the two measures comes on the heels of senators passing a resolution designating October 2022 as Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Pennsylvania and Oct. 21 as Mammography Day in the commonwealth.