From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Rep. Amanda Nedweski is touting a bill that would require insurers to cover certain follow-up breast cancer screening exams for those at higher risk.
The Pleasant Prairie Republican says the bill, dubbed “Gail’s Law,” is “not only cost-saving, it is also life-saving.” She says the legislation aims to boost access to breast cancer screenings for women in Wisconsin while bringing down long-term health care costs.
Under current law, insurance coverage is required for initial mammograms but follow-up screenings aren’t covered, even in cases where dense breast tissue or other “abnormal” results suggest a higher risk for the patient, according to Nedweski’s office. The release notes about half of women have dense breast tissue, making them up to six times more likely to develop breast cancer.
“The suffering of the women in our lives and their families could be reduced with increased access to effective screening because early detection dramatically increases survival rates,” Nedweski said in a statement.
She says the financial burden of additional screening can keep some women from getting these tests, as out-of-pocket costs for such imaging can be $1,000 or more.
“This bill would bring the current screening law in line with the capabilities of modern technology to not only serve more women effectively, but to also save resources that would otherwise be required to provide long-term treatment,” she said.
See the release below.
— U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin has signed onto a letter urging federal officials to “immediately reinstate” fired staff at the Head Start program and stop delaying program funding.
Baldwin, D-Madison, and dozens of other senators recently sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., calling for the release of funding for Head Start. The program provides early childhood education as well as health and social services to about 800,000 kids per year, and employs about 250,000 people.
The lawmakers say the program is a “critical source” of child care, especially in rural areas and tribal communities.
“Head Start programs ensure children receive appropriate health and dental care, nutrition support, and referrals to other critical services for parents, such as job training, adult education, nutrition services, and housing support,” they wrote.
The letter comes after five regional Head Start offices were recently shut down, including Chicago’s Region 5 office that oversees Wisconsin’s Head Start centers.
Baldwin’s office notes the Trump administration froze funding for Head Start earlier this year, and even after “being forced to rescind its directive,” eight related programs in Wisconsin have had ongoing difficulties getting federal funding. One Head Start center in Waukesha has closed, impacting about 250 families getting child care there.
The letter is requesting information on the number of staff that have been fired, impacted grantees, why funding is being delayed and more.
“The Administration has a legal and moral obligation to disburse Head Start funds to programs and to uphold the program’s promise to provide high-quality early education services to low income children and families across this country,” the lawmakers wrote.
See the release below.
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Press Releases
– Rep. Nedweski: Introduces bill to close insurance gap for breast cancer screenings
