MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – A bill to reduce financial barriers for breast cancer screenings is advancing through the Wisconsin Legislature.
Gail’s Law passed the state Senate 32-1 on Tuesday and now heads to the Assembly. The legislation would require insurance companies to cover follow-up breast cancer screenings for women with dense breast tissue and other high-risk factors.
An estimated early half of all women have dense breast tissue, making traditional mammograms often unable to detect cancer. Additional screenings like MRIs are frequently out-of-pocket expenses, creating cost barriers for many Wisconsinites.
Tammy Brown, a breast cancer survivor, paid nearly $1,000 out of pocket for an ultrasound after a mammogram found a suspicious lump. The test confirmed stage one breast cancer.
“Had I not gotten these diagnostic follow-ups and hoped that it was nothing, I could’ve been stage three or stage four,” Brown said. “Treatment would be much more expensive. Treatment would be much more life-disruptive and life-threatening.”
Brown, now cancer-free, has been sporting pink hair for over two years as a conversation starter about mammograms and is an advocate for Gail’s Law. “I’m living proof that early detection saves lives,” she said.
The bill is named after Gail Ziemer, who died from breast cancer last year.
“Personal health should never be considered a luxury,” Sophie Ziemer, Gail’s daughter, said at a Wednesday press conference in support of the bill.
The bill has received overwhelmingly bipartisan support.
“States that have passed similar legislation have seen only minimal increases in insurance costs, with an increase of roughly 4 to 6 cents per month per policyholder, less than a dollar a year,” State Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie said. “I think we can all get on board with that.”
State Sen. LaTonya Johnson, D-Milwaukee, called the legislation “a game changer.”
The bill was heard in an Assembly committee on Wednesday and needs a floor vote to pass. A spokesperson for Gov. Tony Evers said he plans to sign the bill if it reaches his desk.
If enacted, Wisconsin would join 30 other states with similar breast cancer screening coverage laws.
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Gail’s Law would expand breast cancer screening insurance coverage in Wisconsin
