Women don’t have to pay extra for 3-D mammograms anymore, under new state law
A new law that went into effect
"I think we are going to be able to detect more invasive cancers at an earlier stage," said Dr.
"That's the goal."
The new state law, known as House Bill 1036, means that women in
Instead, commercial insurance providers in
This change -- one of 673 new laws that went into effect
This makes
"This is a great day for the women of
'More accurate and meaningful'
Earlier this year, a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by breast cancer survivor state Rep.
Thompson has long said 3-D mammography could have caught her cancer earlier.
Mammograms are X-ray pictures of the breast. And 3-D mammography -- also known as digital breast tomosynthesis -- is the latest, most up-to-date technology being used to screen for breast cancer.
Medical officials say this type of mammogram, approved by the
In a regular mammogram, breast tissue is examined through two-dimensional pictures, which radiologists study for any abnormalities.
But in a 3-D mammogram, radiologists have a better chance of finding abnormalities because they can look at the breast tissue one layer at a time -- as if they were flipping the pages of a book -- which ensures nothing small is hidden by thick or dense tissue.
"It allows you to see things much more clearly," Chilcoat said. "It's a much more accurate and meaningful mammogram."
That means many problems are caught earlier and there are fewer call-backs asking women to return and repeat the mammogram.
Women shouldn't notice much difference when having a 3-D mammogram, Chilcoat said.
Generally, women hold a pose for around three seconds while the mammogram captures the image of a breast and tissue. For a 3-D mammogram, it might take a few more seconds.
"It's not perceivable to the person," Chilcoat said. "There's still a little bit of compression for a short period of time. But the experience is nearly the same."
Early detection
Breast cancer is the one cancer most diagnosed in women, potentially impacting one out of every eight women. All women are at risk, whether or not they have a family history of problems.
State Rep.
The
"If I had that 3-D mammogram, we might have found it earlier," Collier said. "This [new law] is important because early detection can be life-saving.
"It shouldn't be just for those who are wealthy," she said. "It should be available to everyone."
In Collier's case, she went through treatment for triple-negative breast cancer and, ultimately, "everything came out great."
But she knows not everyone is as lucky.
"Early detection is key," Collier said. "That's what this technology offers. We want to be able to catch it early.
"That lowers the costs and the chance of it spreading."
___
(c)2017 the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Visit the Fort Worth Star-Telegram at www.star-telegram.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Prestige Health Choice Deploys Hurricane Relief Efforts in Collaboration with Feeding Florida
American Integrity Insurance’s Catastrophe Response Team to Deploy to Several Cities to Assist Customers Affected by Hurricane Irma
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News