Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a law Monday that expands insurance coverage of mammograms.
Previously, insurance companies only had to cover the initial “screening” mammograms that check for cancerous tissue. Under the new law, insurance must now cover any follow-up mammograms that scrutinize the body in more detail. Pritzker says this extra coverage is essential.
“One in eight American women will develop invasive breast cancer," he said. "That’s one out of every eight women who might be in the fight of their lives. Every single one of them deserves access to the highest quality of care.”
Pritzker signed the bill at the Northwestern Medicine Health and Wellness Center in DeKalb. He was joined by the bill’s co-sponsors, Republican State Representative Jeff Keicher and Democratic State Senator Linda Holmes.