Press Release - Assembly Health Committee Approves Legislation to Increase Early Detection of Breast Cancer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Eduardo Martinez

April 15, 2008 (916) 319-2044

 

Assembly Health Committee Approves Legislation to Increase Early Detection of Breast Cancer

A decades-old policy on what insurance companies must cover relies on outdated and incomplete scientific information that leaves many women without coverage for needed breast cancer screenings

 

SACRAMENTO, CA – Over the objections of health insurance companies, the Assembly Health Committee today approved legislation to provide a much needed update to the quality of health care coverage surrounding breast cancer screenings. AB 2234 (Portantino and Wolk) requires California’s health insurance companies to increase coverage in conformance with national breast cancer guidelines and to offer women the most up to date detection methods.

 

“Twenty years ago, California responded to a growing body of science by mandating that health insurance companies cover breast cancer screenings starting at age 35,” said Portantino. “Science and technology has advanced over the years, but one fact that remains unchanged is that early detection of breast cancer is the key to saving lives. Because of that, I’ve introduced AB 2234 which will update our laws with widely accepted national guidelines that remove age as the deciding factor for diagnosis. Every year 21,000 California women are diagnosed with breast cancer resulting in 4,200 deaths – the women of California deserve better than outdated and arbitrary health coverage standards,” concluded Portantino.

 

“The face of breast cancer has undoubtedly changed,” said Gina Andrews, the 34-year old Founder of the Sacramento Breast Cancer Resource Center who testified in support of AB 2234. “When I found I had cancer, I was shocked to find out how little information there was geared towards helping women my age. This bill questions the fundamental premise that breast cancer primarily affects middle-aged women, and unfortunately that’s just simply not true anymore.” Andrews first discovered a lump in her breast at the age of 28, but it was not diagnosed as cancerous until 3 years later. Andrews underwent chemotherapy while trying to raise a newborn son, and realized that many other women had a similar experience. Her organization focuses on giving breast cancer patients the resources needed to obtain help at this critical time in their lives.

 

Under current law, insurers are required to pay for a “baseline mammogram” when the insured reaches the age of 35. At age 40, an insured is eligible for a mammogram every other year until age 50, at which point mammograms are to be paid for every year. While these provisions were previously believed to be sufficient protection for women, recent scientific studies reveal that at least nine categories of women are at an “extreme risk” for developing breast cancer at an earlier age and yet can legally be denied a breast cancer screening by their PPO insurance. These categories include women with a personal history of breast cancer, women with multiple relatives who have breast cancer, and women who have had radiation exposure to the chest between the ages of 10 and 30. AB 2234 would require insurers to pay for the diagnosis of women regardless of their age if they are subject to one of these risks. It also calls on insurers to keep pace with changing diagnostic technology and to communicate with policy holders. “It’s a common sense approach that uses science and peer reviewed practices to save lives through early detection and I’m extremely excited to have passed this bill through the Health Committee,” concluded Portantino.

 

The genesis for AB 2234 came to Assemblymember Portantino when he was stopped in his local post office by a resident who asked him to look into this issue. Several women in Portantino’s home town had been diagnosed with breast cancer and were disheartened to learn how much was not covered by their insurance carriers.

 

AB 2234 was approved by the Assembly Health Committee and will be considered by the Committee on Appropriations later this month.