U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN) on May 15 introduced bipartisan legislation that would protect health insurance coverage for mammography screenings.
“Women of all ages are affected by breast cancer and every woman should be able to access mammograms when they need them,” Rep. Brooks said on Wednesday. “Taking preventative measures, such as having mammograms, are key components to combating a disease that takes the lives of too many Hoosiers and Americans.”
Rep. Brooks cosponsored the Protecting Access to Lifesaving Screenings (PALS) Act, H.R. 2777, with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) to postpone U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations that could limit women’s access to mammograms. U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) is also a cosponsor of H.R. 2777.
The most recent USPSTF recommendations, which are guidelines used by health insurance companies as the basis for coverage, gave annual mammograms for women ages 40-49 a “C” grade. That meant USPSTF recommended screenings be performed selectively. The task force also recommended that women ages 50-74 have mammogram screenings done on a bi-annual basis.
“If left in place, USPSTF recommendations put women, especially young women, at risk of losing insurance coverage for essential mammogram screenings that could save their life,” Rep. Brooks said.
If enacted, H.R. 2777 would extend the moratorium on the USPSTF breast cancer screening guidelines and also would ensure that female military veterans treated by the Veterans Health Administration do not face the same barriers to getting their mammograms.
H.R. 2777 is supported by numerous groups, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Black Women’s Health Imperative, Men Against Breast Cancer, the National Hispanic Medical Association, and the Prevent Cancer Foundation, among many others.
H.R. 2777 is under consideration by the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, and the U.S. House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.