New bill aims to help detect breast cancer early

BOISE — A bill that would provide coverage for supplemental breast cancer screening has been introduced to the Idaho House.

On Tuesday, the Health and Welfare Committee voted unanimously to introduce the bill, which seeks to cover additional early breast cancer screening for certain at-risk groups and individuals.

House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, introduced the bill, explaining how early detection screening in Idaho lags behind national rates.

“The national average for late-stage detection is one in 10 cases; in Idaho, it’s one in three,” Rubel said. “That means a lot of breast cancers are not getting detected until very late-stage, which is obviously far likelier to lead to death and other complications.”

Diagnostic and supplemental breast imaging is often necessary for people with genetic conditions, such as BRCA 1 and BRCA 2, or dense tissue that makes it harder to see cancerous spots on a normal mammogram. Under the Affordable Care Act, most private health plans are required to provide preventative screening services with no cost sharing. However, not all plans cover the out-of-pocket costs for the additional imaging services needed to detect cancer in these at-risk groups.

The bill requires health insurance, including private plans, to cover enhanced imaging for people who have a higher risk or increased need.

Rubel mentioned the fiscal and emotional cost of late-stage detection on cancer patients, saying that financing preventative action saves more compared to current policy.

“The cost of later detection is huge,” Rubel said. “If you don’t find this until stage three or four, these people are going to have incredibly costly chemotherapy. Just one person is going to be $100,000 to $300,000. The enhanced screening is about $500 per person.”

The bill will come back for a full hearing.

Schwicht may be contacted at newsroom@idahopress.com.