Early Breast Cancer Cost Barriers Removal Backed By PA Lawmakers

HARRISBURG, PA —Pennsylvania Senate has come together in a bipartisan effort to help strengthen the health and safety of our communities by breaking down financial barriers to early detection of breast cancer, state lawmakers said.

Senate Bill 8 calls for removing out-of-pocket costs and mandating 100 percent coverage for preventative breast cancer screenings for high-risk patients.

State Sen. Carolyn Comitta, a Chester County Democrat; State Sen. Tracy Pennycuick, a Montgomery County, Republican; and State Sen. Katie Muth, a Democrat representing portions of Chester, Montgomery, and Berks counties, were among the 47 co-sponsors of the bill introduced by state Senator President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, a breast cancer survivor of Westmoreland County.

The proposed legislation includes coverage of all costs associated with supplemental screenings by MRI or Ultrasound, which are important for women with dense breast tissue.

Pennycuick and Maria Collett, a Democrat representing portions of Montgomery and Bucks counties, said Thursday in a joint editorial that they are proud to report that the bill unanimously passed by the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee on Feb. 28 and they are expecting the passage by the full Senate shortly.

The lawmakers said three of the scariest words in the English language are spoken thousands of times a day in doctors' offices across the country: “You have cancer.”

This year, more than 12,000 Pennsylvania women will hear those words as they are diagnosed with breast cancer.

The lawmakers said for many women the life-saving genetic tests and enhanced screenings are unavailable due to cost.

“ This is unacceptable,” the lawmakers Pennycuick and Collett wrote. “Cost should never be a barrier to early cancer detection.”

Pennycuick and Collett encourage the state House to move swiftly so the bill can be sent to Gov. Josh Shapiro for his signature.