RadNet, cancer care advocates praise passage of bills to boost imaging coverage
Both RadNet and the “world’s largest nonprofit source of funding for the fight against breast cancer” praised the passage of bills to bolster coverage for imaging services.
The two policy changes will forbid state-regulated insurers in Maryland from charging copayments, deductibles or other patient cost-sharing for supplemental diagnostic radiology services associated with lung or breast cancer.
Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed the two measures into law this week following their unanimous passage in the Maryland General Assembly and Senate.
“These bills will help save the lives of Marylanders by eliminating financial barriers to follow-up or supplemental breast and lung cancer imaging,” Steve Forthuber, chief operating officer and president of Eastern Operations for RadNet, which lobbied for the bills, said in a May 4 announcement. “There are too many patients today who cannot afford their co-pays or deductibles for critical follow-up exams once potential cancer has been identified through a routine screening exam.”
RadNet noted that the bills also seek to address health inequities by bettering educational efforts tied to breast and lung cancer screening. The Maryland Radiological Society, LifeBridge Health system, and the Medical Imaging Technology Alliance also have supported the policies. The Susan G. Komen organization has fought to abolish impediments to breast cancer care across the U.S. and praised the policies on May 3.
“We thank the Maryland legislature and Gov. Moore for eliminating a key financial barrier to care so that anyone with a state-regulated health plan can now receive medically necessary diagnostic and supplemental imaging without any out-of-pocket expenses,” Molly Guthrie, VP of policy and advocacy at Susan G. Komen, said in a statement.
The new laws will take effect on Jan. 1 and pertain to diagnostic mammograms, ultrasound and MRI of the breast or lung, along with CT and image-guided biopsy of the latter. Local legislators have tasked the Maryland Department of Health with making recommendations by July 1 on ways to eliminate disparities in underserved populations. RadNet said advocates continue to press the Maryland General Assembly to include image-guided breast biopsy to the list of supplemental breast procedures.
“Maryland is among a growing number of states that are taking action to make cancer detection and diagnosis more affordable,” RadNet, which operates 357 imaging centers across the country, said in its announcement, adding that the passage marks “an essential step towards ensuring that no Maryland resident is left behind in the fight against breast and lung cancer.”
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.