House committee advances bill to require insurers to cover supplemental breast screening for high‑risk patients

The Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee voted to send House Bill 134 to the floor with a due‑pass recommendation, a measure that would require most private health plans to cover supplemental breast‑cancer screening — including MRI, contrast‑enhanced mammography and ultrasound — for people identified as at heightened risk.

The bill’s sponsors and dozens of medical professionals and breast‑cancer survivors told the committee that supplemental imaging can detect cancers missed by standard mammography, particularly in women with dense breast tissue, and that early detection reduces both suffering and long‑term treatment costs. Representative Brooke Green, R‑Boise, who described herself as a two‑time breast‑cancer survivor, said the measure targets “persons with a heightened risk of breast cancer due to many different factors such as genetic predisposition… prior radiation therapy, or… extremely dense breast tissue.” Green said the bill would apply to private plans other than Medicaid and to insured plans that are not self‑funded and regulated differently.

“While mammograms are covered with no out of pocket costs, patients requiring follow‑up imaging face significant financial barriers,” Green said. “This bill ensures…