Albany Times Union Healthy Life - April 4, 2011

Are you dense? What every women should know about her breasts and mammograms

By Cari Scribner/HealthyLife

On February 3, 2011, New York State Senator John J. Flanagan announced he had written legislation that would require insurance companies to cover the cost of supplemental screening for women who have dense breast tissue, as well as women who are at greater risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer. The legislation would also require that every radiologist report to a patient following a mammogram include information on breast density and information on the availability and usefulness of further screenings.

"Women throughout our state should have the right to access all relevant medical information, and our state has an obligation to make sure that those rights are protected," he said in a pres release. "This law will make sure that all tools are available to women so that any breast cancer can be caught and treated early and lives can be saved."

With the legislation under review in the insurance review committees in the NYS Assembly and Senate at press time, Pushkin hopes everyone will contact their elected officials to support bill #S1883 in the Senate, and bill #A1431 in the Assembly. "It's a slap in the face that women aren't even told about this information that could save their lives," Pushkin says. "There are thousands of women who should be screaming to have these bills passed, but they don't even know they need it. Women need to start asking questions and finding answers."