NY governor signs breast cancer screening access bill

Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York has signed a bill to increase women's access to breast cancer screening.

The bill will go into effect on January 1, 2017. It builds on breast density notification legislation Cuomo signed in 2012 by requiring the following:

• Hospitals must offer extended hours for screening at least four hours per week outside of the normal 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. workday.
• Insurance companies must offer screening mammograms at no cost to their members, including those women who undergo screening more frequently than federal screening guidelines suggest.
• Insurance companies must cover diagnostic imaging for breast cancer as well, including mammograms, breast ultrasounds, and breast MR.
• Current state law requires all public employers to provide their employees with four hours of leave each year for breast cancer screening. Now public employees in cities with populations of 1 million or more will also receive this benefit.

The legislation is part of a $91 million campaign that will support 10 mobile mammography vans across the state, as well as patient navigators, support for a public awareness initiative on breast cancer screening, community-based peer education programs, and research on new cancer-related technologies to help increase screening and improve diagnosis and treatment.