A bill that promises to save lives has been held up because of political squabbles between Kansas Senate Republicans and a Republican candidate for governor, Democrats argue.
The bill requires any insurance plan in Kansas to pay for diagnostic mammograms. Diagnostic mammograms are follow-up tests to a typical mammogram and an important step in detecting breast cancer. It can be an ultrasound or a more detailed check from a mammogram machine.
There’s currently a frustrating dynamic in Kansas, advocates say. Routine mammograms are covered. Women will head into their appointment and pay nothing, a lump is found and further tests are needed. Then they get hit with a bill when they return for further cancer screenings.
About 10% of people need diagnostic mammograms. These mammograms cost between $172 and $234, said Megan Word, government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. Breast ultrasounds are cheaper, between $54 and $100. And breast MRIs are more than $1,000.
Screening for breast cancer early saves lives, Word said. If caught early, the five-year survival rate of breast cancer is 99%. The survival rate is just 32% for late-stage diagnoses.
“When our policy makers are saying that we want to encourage people to get out and get early screening,” she said, “but then they don’t remove barriers that we know are in the way, that makes me angry and it doesn’t make any sense.”
Rep. Linda Featherston, a Johnson County Democrat, said she was told the bill had the support to pass on the Senate floor. She worked with a senator on talking points and even had a date the bill would be debated. That day came and went and nothing happened.
Featherston said the bill was stopped because Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt is running against Senate President Ty Masterson in the Republican primary for governor. Schmidt was a key voice pushing the bill.
The legislative session isn’t over, but the bill has missed key deadlines in the Statehouse, and that likely means it won’t advance this year.
That could mean more delays for women who might have cancer but can’t afford the test.
“We know that some legislators care more about someone getting credit or not getting credit than passing policy that is good for Kansans,” said Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Johnson County Democrat.
Sykes’ office said they can’t say exactly why the bill didn’t pass — adding that question is best for Republican leadership.
Garrett Henson, a spokesperson for Masterson, said politics had nothing to do with the bill failing. He said Masterson is committed to expanding affordable preventable care for women across the state.
Senate Majority Leader Chase Blasi, a Sedgwick County Republican, said the bill didn’t pass because of opposition from the business community. It has nothing to do with who is running for governor.
“It’s easy to impugn other people’s motives in this building,” he said. “But the reality is, the business community had a lot of concerns that are valid.”
Both the Kansas Chamber and Kansas Employers for Affordable Healthcare spoke against the bill. They see it as an unfunded mandate that makes it more expensive for businesses to pay for insurance plans.
William Wilk, senior director of government affairs for the Kansas Chamber, said in written testimony that the chamber historically opposes these types of mandates, even if the bill is well-intentioned.
“We are in opposition to the principle only,” he said.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas also told lawmakers the bill would increase insurance costs. Kansas expanded diagnostic mammogram coverage to state employees years ago. It resulted in only a 0.03% increase in insurance costs, advocates say.
Word, with the American Cancer Society Action Network, said delaying medical care makes treatment more expensive, which then makes insurance more expensive if more customers need chemotherapy or surgery.
A KFF survey found that 44% of Americans say it’s somewhat or very difficult to afford medical care. Thirty-six percent of adults said they’ve skipped medical care in the past year over price issues.
That can be a deadly decision.
Michael Morrow, a diagnostic radiologist with a specialty in breast imaging, said not everybody can request these mammograms. Expanding coverage doesn’t mean that everyone is getting one — it just means people who might have cancer get additional services without cost burdens.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the world, Morrow said. He wants to see lawmakers act on the bill.
Blasi said the bill could advance in future sessions, but only if concerns from the business community are addressed. He was asked if the 0.03% increase in costs meant the opposition shouldn’t be too worried about price hikes, but he said that’s just evidence these mammograms are already covered by a lot of providers.
“Never say never,” Blasi said. “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 health care plans … then the legislature is going to have concerns.”
This story was originally published by The Beacon, a fellow member of the KC Media Collective.
