Williams’ Bill to Increase Coverage for Breast Cancer Screenings Passes Senate

April 27, 2019

Denver, CO – The Colorado State Senate today voted 30-to-4 with 1 excused to pass HB19-1301, Health Insurance For Breast Imaging, a bill sponsored by Senator Angela Williams (D-Denver) to expand healthcare coverage to cover breast cancer screening studies and breast imaging at no additional cost to patients. The bill now heads to Governor Polis for his signature. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, and approximately one in seven Colorado women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. This bill will not only save lives, but also save patients money on the treatments and service they need. “We know that early detection of breast cancer can greatly increase the chances of successful treatment,” said Senator Williams. “We owe it to all Colorado women at risk of breast cancer to make it easier and more affordable to get the screenings and treatments that will help them detect and fight against this disease.” Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance providers must cover preventive health for women, including one cancer screening per year – but they are not required to cover the cost of any additional treatment or analysis. HB19-1301 would expand this requirement for insurers to include coverage of follow-up diagnostic procedures at no cost to women with increased risk factors for breast cancer.HB19-1301 passed the House of Representatives 59-to-4 on April 14, 2019. For more information on this bill, please visit: https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb19-1301.

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