Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), author of the Mammogram and MRI Availability Act (H. R. 995), reiterated the importance of early detection for breast cancer. At an Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing on breast cancer legislation, Nadler testified on his legislation, which would require insurance plans already covering diagnostic mammography to extend coverage for annual screening mammography to women age 40 and over, and for annual screenings and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for women at high risk of developing breast cancer.

“When it comes to breast cancer, prevention is the difference between life and death,” said Nadler. “Study after study has found that yearly mammograms, done from age 40 on, help find tumors at their smallest and most treatable stage. H. R. 995 is a common sense, bipartisan bill that would implement the recommended practices of leading breast cancer prevention groups. This legislation would ensure that women age 40 and older, as well as those women at high risk of developing breast cancer, will not continue to fall through the cracks.”

Currently, annual screening mammograms, which are used to detect tumors that cannot be felt manually, are covered under Medicare and Medicaid, but many private insurers cover only diagnostic mammograms, the type of mammography used to confirm the presence of a tumor only after it has been detected.
The American Cancer Society recommends that women who are at high risk of breast cancer – because of a strong family history or genetic predisposition – receive both annual MRIs and mammograms. MRIs are proven to catch more tumors at their earliest, most treatable stages.

The National Cancer Institute estimates that, in 2009 alone, more than 40,000 women in the U.S. will die from breast cancer and more than 192,000 new cases will be discovered. While breast cancer is often treatable, early detection is critical to preventing the rapid spread of this deadly disease and beginning effective treatment.