A bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives has reintroduced a bill that aims to expand access to diagnostic breast imaging.
The Find It Early Act, reintroduced in the House of Representatives on November 20, would require health insurance plans to cover breast cancer screening and diagnostic imaging with no cost-sharing for patients. This includes supplemental imaging that’s needed for women with dense breasts, such as diagnostic mammograms, ultrasounds, and MRIs.
“If the goal is to #FindItEarly, women need to be able to access the tests that make that possible,” JoAnn Pushkin, co-founder of DenseBreast-info.org and a supporter of the bill, told AuntMinnie. “When women are advised, due to breast density or risk, that their mammogram is not enough, they should be able to access the recommended additional tests, with no out-of-pocket costs, to complete their screening cycle.”
While the Affordable Care Act requires health insurers to cover breast cancer screening, many women require additional imaging, including those with dense breasts. Most insurers charge out-of-pocket costs that can lead women to delay or skip supplemental imaging. This can lead to later-stage diagnoses and worse outcomes.
Recent reports suggest that about one-third of high-risk women who have a provider recommendation for breast MRI undergo the exam. Data from Susan G. Komen highlights that while the average out-of-pocket cost of a diagnostic mammogram is $234, a breast MRI can cost patients over $1,000.
Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that about half of U.S. women have either heterogeneously or extremely dense breasts. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2024 implemented a nationwide breast density notification rule. This requires care providers to inform women of their breast density status.
U.S. Representatives Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), along with award-winning journalist and advocate Katie Couric, reintroduced the bill. DeLauro and Fitzpatrick previously worked together on the Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act, which directed the FDA to establish the breast density notification mandate.
Couric was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022. Since then, she has been working with policymakers and advocates to emphasize the importance of cancer screenings.
“Improving access and coverage for additional testing -- especially for women like me with dense breasts -- will save lives,” Couric said in a prepared statement. “Breast cancer is treatable, and 99% of women who are diagnosed early survive. The Find It Early Act is a critical step toward improving access to these lifesaving screenings, and I am incredibly thankful to Congresswoman DeLauro and Congressman Fitzpatrick for joining with me in this effort to save millions of lives.”
Pushkin said once the bill has an assigned number, DenseBreast-info.org will reach out to legislators who were cosponsors of the bill in the last Congress, as well as to new cosponsors.
“Additionally, we look forward to visiting legislators in their [Washington, DC,] offices to educate about, and rally support for, the bill,” she told AuntMinnie.
DenseBreast-info.org has a dedicated page to support the progress of the bill, including a fact sheet, lobbying tips, additional bill information, and a statement of support.
