Insurer and business lobbying interests kill supplemental breast imaging bill in 1 state
Insurer and business lobbying interests are combing to quash a bill that would require payers to cover supplemental breast imaging in one state.
Earlier this year, Kansas lawmakers introduced Senate Bill 409, seeking to close insurance gaps for women who need follow-up scans after screening mammography. Rep. Linda Featherston believed the bill had the votes to pass and was anticipating a floor debate.
However, the scheduled day for deliberation came and went with nothing occurring, The Beacon reported Monday.
“I was told that politics were getting in the way of the bill coming above the line,” Featherston, a Johnson County Democrat, told the news outlet.
The latest Kansas legislative session has not ended, but SB 409 has missed multiple key deadlines and is now unlikely to advance in 2026. Senate Majority Leader Chase Blasi said the bill didn’t pass due to “valid concerns” from the business community. Both the Kansas Chamber of commerce and Kansas Employers for Affordable Healthcare see the legislation as an “unfunded mandate that makes it more expensive for businesses to pay for insurance plans.”
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas—the state’s largest insurer, with over 45% market share—contends the legislation will increase costs. However, proponents of the bill note that when Kansas expanded state employees’ coverage for supplemental breast cancer screening, insurance costs only increased by about 0.03%.
Blasi was unsure if the bill would get another chance.
“Never say never,” the Sedgwick County Republican told The Beacon. “Every legislative session is different, and people can work out agreements. However, as long as the business community sees this as an increase to their healthcare plans … then the legislature is going to have concerns.”
The move comes after Alabama recently passed legislation requiring insurers to cover supplemental breast imaging, such as ultrasounds and MRIs. Around 30 states have passed similar such bills, according to Susan G. Komen.
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.