- Texas House Bill 1036 passed the House of Representatives with strong support today. The bill will now proceed to the Texas Senate for a vote. The bill passed unanimously through the state’s Insurance Committee earlier this month.
If the bill is passed by the Texas Senate and signed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott into law, it will require all commercial insurance providers in Texas to cover 3-D mammography™, also known as digital breast tomosynthesis, for breast cancer screening and diagnosis at no additional cost to the patient – just like insurers now cover 2-D mammography screenings.
House Bill 1036 was introduced on Jan. 1 by Texas Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston).
“We applaud the Texas House of Representatives and Rep. Thompson for taking a stand on women’s breast health and passing HB 1036. We are one step closer for the women of Texas to have peace of mind that their 3-D mammograms, the most advanced form of screening available, will be covered by insurance,” commented James Polfreman, president and CEO of Solis Mammography. “This is step one of a three-step process, but Texas is headed in the right direction.”
If signed into law, Texas will become the sixth state to have similar legislation in place for insurers to treat all screening mammography (2-D and 3-D) the same – at no extra cost to patients. Texas now joins Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Arkansas.
3-D mammography is a more advanced form of breast screening. It helps patients avoid unnecessary callbacks for more tests, and improves detection of breast cancer in the early stages of the disease when survival rates are highest.
“We encourage Texas women to reach out to their state senator and ask for their support,” said Polfreman.
For more information on HB1036, visit Texans for Breast Health. Advocates for the bill can sign up to receive regular updates on its progress and/or how they can get involved to join in the fight for equal access to the best mammography screening available.
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About Solis Mammography
With more than 30 years in breast imaging, Solis Mammography is a specialized healthcare provider focused on delivering patients an exceptional experience and exceptionally accurate results in mammography and imaging services. Headquartered in Addison, Texas, Solis operates 38 centers across six major markets – North Texas; Houston, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona; Columbus, Ohio; Greensboro, North Carolina; and through its acquisition of Washington Radiology, the District of Columbia metropolitan area. The company operates both wholly-owned centers and multiple successful joint ventures with hospital partners. Serving more than 600,000 patients each year, both Solis Mammography and Washington Radiology offer dedicated experts in breast screening and diagnostic mammography (2-D and 3-D), breast ultrasound, stereotactic biopsy, and ultrasound-guided biopsy. In addition, Washington Radiology offers a full range of diagnostic imaging services including general ultrasound, general biopsy, X-ray, MRI and CT imaging. For more information, visit www.SolisMammo.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Pinterest, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Barbara Jacoby is an award winning blogger that has contributed her writings to multiple online publications that have touched readers worldwide.