CT House Passes 'An Act Concerning Required Health Insurance'

Press release from CT House Democrats Office:

May 17, 2021

The Connecticut House of Representatives passed HB 6626: An Act Concerning Required Health Insurance and Medicaid Coverage, Ambulance Services and Cost Transparency on Wednesday. This bill continues state efforts to help make the early detection of breast cancer more affordable.

This bill was championed by Representatives Gary Turco (D-Newington) and Dorinda Borer (D-West Haven) with strong support from Co-chairs of the Insurance Committee, Representative Kerry Wood (D-Newington/Rocky Hill/Wethersfield) and Senator Matt Lesser. The House voted 145 to 1 in nearly unanimous bipartisan support to pass HB 6626.

“This legislation is critical to save the lives of countless Connecticut citizens. Each year, over 250,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer, and Connecticut has one of the highest rates of breast cancer diagnosis in the nation,” said Rep. Turco. “The passage of this legislation would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of Newington breast cancer survivor and advocate, Jan Kritzman, who, in 2019, also championed the legislation which laid the groundwork for the bill we passed today. The best chance for someone to survive breast cancer is through early detection. This bill both increases access to early detection of breast cancer, and saves money for our state, individuals and municipalities.”

“Expanding insurance coverage for mammograms, ultrasounds, and diagnostic testing means we can increase the likelihood of early detection and save people’s lives,” State Rep. Wood said. “I’m thankful to have worked on this legislative with such a dedicated team and I’m hopeful the bill will be signed by the Governor.”

"I'm thrilled to see this legislation pass the House,” Sen. Lesser said. “Connecticut ranks at the top of the country in many good ways, but unfortunately we're also the number one state for breast cancer. We know that early detection saves lives and for years I've worked to strengthen laws on breast cancer coverage. I'm grateful to incredible advocates like Newington's Jan Kritzman who have led the charge in ensuring that insurance companies pay for the essential screening that people need."

Currently, many of the vital screenings and tests which detect breast cancer early are delayed due to the out of pocket costs for deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance. This bill would ensure that everyone has affordable access by expanding required health insurance policies to include coverage forbothdiagnostic and screening mammograms, breast biopsies, prophylactic mastectomies for certain insureds, and breast reconstructive surgery for certain insureds.This proactive care is integral to catching cancer in early stages and preventing costly treatments. Furthermore, this bill has established a program to advance breast health and breast cancer awareness, and promote greater understanding of the importance of early breast cancer detection.

This bill builds upon the legislation passed in 2019 which mandated no out of pocket costs for screenings, ultrasounds and MRIs. The bill passed in 2019 requires health insurance coverage for (1) a baseline mammogram for any woman who is thirty years of age or older, (2) an annual mammogram for any woman who receives a recommendation from such woman's treating physician and (3) comprehensive breast ultrasound screening for any woman who receives a recommendation from such woman's treating physician. However, since the passage of this legislation, insurance companies have found loopholes, and there are important screenings which are not covered by insurance.

This press release was produced by CT House Democrats Office. The views expressed here are the author's own.