Oklahoma governor vetoes bill requiring coverage for supplemental breast imaging
Oklahoma Gov. J. Kevin Stitt (R) this week vetoed legislation requiring health insurers to cover supplemental breast imaging exams with no patient cost-sharing, drawing criticism from patient advocates.
After passing through the Sooner State’s legislature, House Bill 1389 is now dead following the governor’s action. In a statement shared May 5, Stitt said he believes the bill represents government intrusion.
“I am deeply sympathetic to the women across our state who have bravely fought breast cancer,” he said. “While early detection and access to care are critical priorities, this legislation imposes new and costly insurance mandates on private health plans that will ultimately raise insurance premiums for working families and small businesses. Mammograms are already covered, and when a doctor sees the need for further tests, they are empowered to order further tests that can be covered by insurance.”
“Without fail, when government gets involved in markets, prices rise for everyone,” he concluded. “Rather than expanding government mandates, we should focus on empowering individuals and encouraging innovation in the marketplace to improve access and affordability.”
His decision comes after fellow Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a similar bill into law in Arkansas on April 14. While Stitt is correct that plans are required to cover screening mammograms under current law, there is no such mandate for follow-up exams such as MRIs and ultrasound. These often are necessary when initial imaging results are inconclusive, if a woman has a genetic disposition to the disease, or among those with dense breast tissue. An analysis commissioned by Susan G. Komen found that women can pay out-of-pocket costs ranging from $234 for a diagnostic follow-up mammogram to over $1,000 for a breast MRI. Extra charges lead to 1 in 5 women opting to forgo additional testing if they don’t have the funds, a study in Radiology found.
The Dallas-based patient advocacy group on Wednesday said the governor’s action will ensure “barriers to supplemental breast imaging remain for high-risk patients in Oklahoma.” Komen agrees about the importance of reducing overall healthcare costs, but it believes enacting H.B. 1389 would have served this need, eliminating the “exorbitant treatment costs associated with a later stage diagnosis.” That’s why about 30 other states have passed similar policies, including Arkansas and Missouri.
“This lifesaving legislation championed by Rep. Melissa Provenzano, D-Tulsa, and Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-Midwest City, would have built upon existing statute to ensure that individuals at a higher risk of breast cancer are able to receive their medically recommended early detection screenings,” Molly Guthrie, VP of policy and advocacy for Komen, said in a statement May 7. “Komen’s Center for Public Policy will continue to advocate for policies that ensure fair and equitable access to high-quality breast care for all Oklahomans.”
In April, members of Congress in both chambers proposed the Access to Breast Cancer Diagnosis Act, which would require insurers to cover supplemental breast imaging nationwide. The bill has failed to pass multiple times in previous years.
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.