Senate to vote Tuesday on SB 1225 for no-cost breast MRI, ultrasound and SB 1330 for no-cost genetic testing
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Senate is expected to vote Wednesday on Senate Bill 1225, which eliminates out-of-pocket costs of breast MRI and ultrasound screenings for women at high-risk for breast cancer and Senate Bill 1330, which removes costs associated with genetic testing and counseling for hereditary cancers.
Senate Bill 1225, sponsored by PA Senator Bob Mensch (R-Montgomery) and co-sponsored by 46 other senators, covers Pennsylvania women with high-risk conditions including a personal history of breast cancer, family history, genetic predisposition, dense breast tissue or radiation therapy. Studies show breast MRI is more than two times as effective than even 3D mammograms in detecting breast cancer in women at high-risk for breast cancer.
Senate Bill 1330, sponsored by PA Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland), requires health insurance policies to cover, without patient cost-sharing, genetic counseling and genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations. BRCA mutations are shown to increase a person’s chance of developing various hereditary cancers including breast and ovarian cancers.
Senator Kim Ward and Senator Christine Tartaglione (D-Philadelphia) will also introduce a Senate Resolution declaring the month of October 2022 as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and October 21, 2022 Mammography Day in Pennsylvania.
WHEN: Wednesday, October 19, 2022
2:00 p.m. news conference
WHERE: Pennsylvania State Capitol East Wing Fountain (pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month)
Commonwealth Ave.
Harrisburg, PA 17120
WHO: PA Sen. Majority Leader Kim Ward, (R-Westmoreland), chief sponsor, Senate Bill 1330
PA Sen. Bob Mensch, (R-Montgomery), chief sponsor, Senate Bill 1225
PA Sen. Christine Tartaglione, (D-Philadelphia)
Pat Halpin-Murphy, President & Founder, PA Breast Cancer Coalition
The PA Breast Cancer Coalition is a 501(c)3 organization that represents, supports and serves breast cancer survivors and their families in Pennsylvania through educational programming, legislative advocacy and breast cancer research grants. The PBCC is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure now…so our daughters won’t have to. For more information, please call 800-377-8828 or visit www.PABreastCancer.org.