Insurance costs for breast, ovarian cancer screenings nixed

(The Center Square) – Gov. Josh Shapiro signed his first piece of legislation into law Monday that guarantees insurance coverage for breast and ovarian cancer screenings for high-risk patients.

The “unprecedented” measure received unanimous support in the legislature after Senate President Kim Ward, R-Greensburg, spearheaded the effort following her own treatment for breast cancer in 2021.

She said during a news conference Monday that her diagnosis came as “a punch in the gut,” leaving her to wonder what more could be done for patients.

“Based on the experiences that I’ve had going on the journey, these are a couple of things,” she said.

The law removes out-of-pocket expenses for genetic screenings, which can cost thousands of dollars and price many women out of potentially lifesaving care, Ward said. Insurers will also be required to provide supplemental breast screenings to women with a high lifetime risk.

“No one should avoid getting these potentially lifesaving treatments because they can’t afford it,” Shapiro said. “Because of Kim Ward, they won’t have to.”

Approximately 264,000 women and 2,400 men receive a breast cancer diagnosis every year, data shows. Ward said 14,000 of those cases occur in Pennsylvania.

“What this legislature did by getting the bill to Governor Shapiro for his signature will have a huge positive affect on women’s health and lives,” she said.

House Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, highlighted the racial disparities within breast cancer mortality rates, emphasizing that for Black women, it’s at a staggering 40%. The bill breaks down one of the barriers to effective treatment that women of color experience, she said.

“Most importantly, when your insurance company told you no or to find the money out of pocket, we’ve got a strong message from the General Assembly,” said McClinton.

Research shows early screening may increase survival rates and expanding access will help more women receive treatment sooner. This can help to mitigate the fact that while Black women are 4% less likely to get breast cancer than white women, their diagnosis often comes when the disease is much further in its progression, according to the American Cancer Society.