Idaho committee backs bill to require private coverage of supplemental breast imaging 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 after testimony calling for private insurers to cover supplemental breast imaging for women at heightened risk of breast cancer.

Supporters, including the bill’s sponsors and multiple physicians and survivors, told the committee on Presidents Day that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), contrast‑enhanced mammography and targeted ultrasound are medically necessary adjuncts for patients with dense breast tissue, certain genetic mutations or prior radiation exposure and that lack of coverage creates financial barriers to early detection.

Representative John Healy, who introduced the bill, said early detection is critical and that “annual mammograms...aren’t always enough” for high‑risk patients. He turned the presentation to Representative Brooke Green, who said the legislation “classifies these supplemental screenings as necessary…