Ohio could soon make breast cancer screenings more affordable

The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center's Ann Brown was featured in Local 12 and Cincinnati Enquirer reports on a bill introduced by Rep.  Jean Schmidt in the Ohio legislature that seeks to eliminate out of pocket medical expenses such as copays and deductibles associated with supplemental breast cancer screenings. 

Schmidt, Brown and breast cancer survivor and advocate Michele Young were among the proponents that helped get House Bill 371 passed in 2022. That bill requires insurance companies to cover additional screenings for individuals who are at high risk for breast cancer or have dense breast tissue, but the new Breast Examination and Screening Transformation (BEST) Act goes further by eliminating out-of-pocket expenses for these screenings.

"No one should have to choose between paying their mortgage or finding out if they have cancer," said Brown, associate professor of radiology at the UC College of Medicine and a UC Health breast radiologist. "For those with dense breasts, we may be missing some early cancers that would otherwise be detected. So, supplemental screening is something that we wanted to educate women on and educate providers on with this legislation passing."

"When I was detected in 2015, it came to stage four by 2018, so what this bill is going to do is it's going to allow every woman in Ohio, no matter who they are, to have a chance to have the life-saving screening and not worry about the cost, and it will save us money," Young added.

Read or watch the Local 12 report.

Read the Cincinnati Enquirer article.

Featured photo at top of Ann Brown, MD, from left, Rep. Sedrick Denson, breast cancer survivor Michele Young, Mary Mahoney, MD, and Rep. Jean Schmidt at a 2022 press conference celebrating the passage of House Bill 371. Photo/UC Health.