PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Gov. Josh Shapiro was joined by bipartisan leaders, cancer survivors, and advocates to sign his first bill into law during a ceremony at the capitol on Monday.
This piece of legislation requires insurance companies to cover preventative breast and ovarian cancer screenings for high-risk women at no cost.
"For women with hereditary risk of breast cancer, these preventative screenings, like ultrasounds and MRIs, along with genetic testing and counseling, are invaluable tools for detecting cancer early and treating it quickly. No one should avoid getting these potentially lifesaving treatments because they can't afford it," Gov. Shapiro said.
Karen Saunders is the president and CEO of the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute and was in Harrisburg for the bill signing. She says her organization works closely with the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition. It helped push this legislation through to potentially save many more lives from cancer without worrying about the cost.
"One of our big missions is about the message of screening and education about the importance of screening. And yes, when there's a cost in the way, it is a barrier for sure," Saunders said.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Pennsylvania and those numbers increased during the pandemic. Saunders believes the new legislation can give women the tools to prevent a cancer diagnosis.
"Screenings stopped for a long period of time in 2020 and 2021, so we're really in a catch-up mode in terms of being up to date on their screenings."
This legislation will take some time to go into effect, but Saunders calls it a big relief.
"I just really hope that this gets a lot more people to be screened with the screening that they need."
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