Andrade Fighting to Provide Life-Saving Breast Cancer Screenings to All Women

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – To ensure that all women have access to vital healthcare coverage, state Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, is sponsoring legislation that would require insurance companies to cover breast cancer screenings done with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

“Far too many women throughout Illinois are not receiving appropriate healthcare due to the high costs,” said Andrade. “If a woman’s initial breast exam shows signs of potential cancer, all precautions should be made to diagnose it as early as possible to ensure that she can start to undergo treatment if she has this illness. No woman should have to put her life on the line because she cannot afford to pay for this diagnostic tool.”

Andrade is sponsoring Senate Bill 314, which would require insurance companies to cover an MRI breast exam if there are signs of cancer. The measure would provide doctors with more of an opportunity to detect cancer in the early stages, ultimately making it easier to treat and save a woman’s life. Andrade’s measure would allow all women to have access to this treatment, including state employees and Medicaid recipients.

“Regardless of income level, every woman should be able to access lifesaving healthcare tools like MRI breast exams,” Andrade said. “If the standard tests are not sufficient to detect cancer, insurance coverage should be available for any additional tests that are required to determine if someone has this life-threatening disease.”