Breast cancer screening bill to be considered for second time in Legislative Assembly

SIOUX FALLS, SD (Dakota News Now) – The South Dakota Women’s Advocacy Network is once again seeking to support legislation that could make preventive breast cancer screenings more accessible to South Dakotans.

During the 2024 legislative session, a bill that would waive the cost for women who need diagnostic screening for early detection of cancer remained stalled in the Commerce and Energy Committee of the House, but the fight is not over.

With the support of several organizations like Susan G. Koman, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, CHAD and more, it may be possible to eliminate direct costs for these preventive services in the 2025 legislative session.

“This bill has already passed in 26 other states, there is a push for it because people realize how important it is to have health care coverage for South Dakotans for a early detection, early detection,” Melissa McCauley, South Dakota Advocacy Network representative. for women said.

For those who need more than just an initial mammogram, the costs can be expensive; a study by Susan G Komen found that direct costs for a breast MRI alone average about $1,000.

“I have a woman who testified in Montana who took out a loan on her life insurance and finds creative ways to pay for her MRI every year,” said Bobbie Will, Susan G. Koman, policy and of advocacy.

But depending on the use of these MRI machines, these costs can be much higher, penalizing men, but particularly women in rural areas, since in the United States, one in eight women is expected to develop breast cancer by course of his life.

“And let’s be real, she found creative ways to pay for it, most people won’t, they just don’t have five thousand dollars all at once. And if there’s something they need a doctor recommends they do every six months or even every year, most people just don’t have an extra five thousand dollars lying around,” Ben Hanson of American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. » said the relations director.

The concern then becomes: what will happen if individuals start delaying or missing breast cancer screenings?

According to the American Cancer Society, even a three-month delay can lead to later-stage diagnosis and less favorable outcomes.

McCauley says she wants this bill to pass because it’s about saving lives.