On Feb 21st, 2023, state Senator Rachael Cabral Guevara (R-Appleton) and state Representative Nate Gustafson (R) introduced Senate Bill 121 and Assembly Bill 117 to require insurance companies to cover additional breast cancer screening with no cost-sharing.

The bill would apply to women who have been identified as high-risk for breast cancer and to women who have had an abnormal mammography reading and require further testing.

Currently, in Wisconsin, health insurance must cover two mammographic screenings for women ages 45-49 who fit certain criteria and one annual screening for women over 50.

40% of women over 40 have dense breast tissue, which makes cancer tumors undetectable under standard mammograms. Additional testing is necessary to detect cancer for women with dense breasts and can cost between $234 to $1,021 out-of-pocket.

This bill follows the enactment of the 2017 Wisconsin Act 201, which requires mammography facilities to provide women with notification of having dense breast tissue and the risks associated with it.