Insurance Coverage for Mammograms, Ultra Sounds

August 5, 2019

I was proud to support legislation this session that eliminated co-pays and other out of pocket costs for breast ultrasounds and mammograms, and required health insurance policies to cover breast ultrasound screenings for more women.

Dense breast tissue can mask a very early stage breast cancer that a routine mammogram cannot detect. A follow up ultrasound test can spot cancers that otherwise would go unchecked.

There are approximately 3,500 newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer in Connecticut each year, according to the Connecticut Breast Health Initiative. Forty percent of women have dense breast tissue and twenty five percent of post-menopausal women have dense breasts.

Notification of density is a federal law that was recently passed, but health insurance did not cover follow-up ultrasound testing.

This legislation will save lives and allow peace of mind for women that could not afford the costs of additional testing after a diagnosis of dense breasts.

For more information on dense breast and early detection methods for cancer, visit https://www.areyoudense.org/