Malloy Lauded for Signing Bill Expanding Coverage for Breast Cancer Screenings

June 3, 2016

Deputy House Speaker Bob Godfrey and Rep. Janice Giegler on Friday praised Gov. Dannel P. Malloy for signing into law HB 5233, An Act Concerning Health Insurance Coverage for Tomosynthesis for Breast Cancer Screenings.

“I’d like to publicly thank the governor for signing this important legislation,” Godfrey said, “which is for the thousands of women across Connecticut who deserve and will get quality diagnostics and reliable and accessible health care."

“I'm pleased the governor signed this bill as technological advances like this will allow women across Connecticut to be able to access the best possible care,” Rep. Giegler said.

Tomosynthesis, or three-dimensional mammography, saves lives by providing doctors with better and more accurate images to diagnose breast cancers, Godfrey said. Indeed, the new technology is so much improved over two-dimensional images that it nearly eliminates false positives and the need for additional imaging, he added.

The legislation requires health insurance coverage for mammograms provided by breast tomosynthesis, but does not require a medical provider to use tomosynthesis. Since 1988 Connecticut insurance statutes have required coverage of mammography.

“Tomosynthesis is simply a new technology in the existing mandate for mammography. Danbury-based Hologic has taken the lead on researching, developing and manufacturing this vital, life-saving medical equipment. So the passage of this bill also recognizes the importance of the 350 hi-tech bioscience jobs at Hologic,” Godfrey said.

The legislation was unanimously supported in the Senate, and passed 139-3 in the House.