Woodbridge Lawmaker Lauded By A Breast Cancer Screening Advocate

State Senator Joseph J. Crisco, Jr. (D-Woodbridge) was lauded by a breast cancer screening advocate today at the ceremonial signing of a bill that will limit insurance copayments for breast ultrasound screenings to $20, according to a press release by his office.

"The ceremonial signing included Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman and took place at the Hartford Hospital Wellness Center at Blue Back Square in West Hartford.

“We started this effort to provide women with better and more affordable mammogram services nearly 10 years ago, and since then Connecticut has become the leader in the nation in breast health, and thousands of lives have been saved,” said Sen. Crisco, who as Senate Chairman of the Insurance Committee has been the point man for changes to insurance coverage of breast mammograms over the past decade in Connecticut.

“We have been on this great odyssey of making lives better for people because that is our mission in the state legislature.” 

Nancy Cappello, the founder and executive director of Are You Dense, is dedicated to informing the public about dense breast tissue and its significance for the early detection of breast cancer. She praised Sen. Crisco today for his ongoing work on behalf of Connecticut women, beginning with her personal story back in 2006.

“Since then Joe has been working with AreYouDense.org to help improve the outcomes for every woman in Connecticut. He is known for this across the country and around the globe,” Cappello said.

Senate Bill 10, “AN ACT CONCERNING COPAYMENTS FOR BREAST ULTRASOUND SCREENINGS AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY SERVICES,” was passed on a unanimous and bipartisan vote of the state legislature in early May, then signed into law on June 6 by Governor Dannel P. Malloy as Public Act 14-97.

The new law prohibits certain health insurance policies from imposing a copayment of more than $20 for a breast ultrasound screening for which the policies are required to provide coverage. By law, insurance policies in Connecticut must cover a comprehensive breast ultrasound screening if a mammogram shows heterogeneous or ‘dense’ breast tissue, or if a woman is at an increased risk for breast cancer because of family history, her own breast cancer history, positive genetic testing, or other indications as determined by her physician.