| Saving Lives and Breasts - MRI Breast Imaging Legislation |
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| Written by Lori Anne Oliwa | |
| Saturday, 06 September 2008 11:26 | |
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Female Legislators Take the Lead on MRI Breast Imaging Legislation - Breast cancer is every woman’s worst nightmare, and the statistics are startling. In 2007, 6,310 cases were diagnosed in New Jersey alone that resulted in 1,400 deaths, according to information provided by New Jersey State Assemblywoman Elease Evans, D-35. Assemblywoman Evans is one of several New Jersey state legislators advocating for women’s health and ensuring that they receive the best breast care possible. A prime sponsor of Assembly Bill A-346, a bill that would require insurance coverage for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for women deemed at high risk for the disease, Evans explained the need for legislative intervention and cited early detection as key. “Mammograms do not tell the full story, and there are still a high number of women dying from breast cancer,” Evans said. “We are trying to save lives here and need to push for more,” she added. Evans explained that the legislation would mandate coverage for an MRI in addition to a mammogram – not in place of - in certain cases where a physician assesses a patient to be at high-risk for the disease. “Physicians would of course be making the pronouncements and assessing risks and needs,” she noted. While admitting that an MRI is more costly, Evans is still adamant. “We have to get healthcare providers and insurance companies to understand,” she said. Evans, like countless other women, knows far too many who have been afflicted with the disease and considers the battle personal. “I had a sister with breast cancer who survived, and another sister who died from both breast and lung cancer,” she said. Evans mentioned the importance of education and her four-year involvement with an initiative called the Paterson Cancer Initiative Resource Center. The center, located in the Paterson Library, provides multi-lingual information on breast cancer and other forms of cancer to the culturally-diverse populations in the Passaic County area. Evans’ legislative office is located in Paterson, an area where there is also a large population of uninsured individuals.  “This is alarming,” Evans said, noting a national statistic that states that 41% of uninsured women are likely to die from the disease. “Unfortunately, New Jersey has a high population of not only uninsured individuals, but also underinsured individuals”, she added. Citing one final statistic, Evans stated sadly that there were 311 cases of breast cancer in Passaic County that resulted in 78 deaths. “We need to get more women’s groups involved,” Evans stated. Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri-Huttle, D-37, is co-sponsor of Evans’ legislation. Like Evans, she has been personally impacted by the disease. “I am a funeral director and quite literally see the effects of breast cancer, so when I was elected to the State Legislature, I knew this would be one of my issues,” Huttle said. Commenting on the need for the legislation, Huttle emphasized that the images from an MRI are much more descript. “They contain greater depth, and the patient stands a better chance regarding detection of any abnormalities,” she noted. Huttle did, however, express concern about the issue becoming too political. “Every woman would certainly support this bill, but sometimes men just don’t get it. We can change so many things by electing more women to the Legislature,” Huttle stated. She also emphasized the medical community’s involvement in ordering the MRI. “The real need would only be assessed by physician’s order, and I know it’s very expensive,” she added. Huttle also referenced mortality rates and said the real issue is simply lack of access. “We have the best doctors in the world, but we do not have access. Mortality rates are higher due to the lack of access,” Huttle stated. Quoting 2007 statistics from the website www.cancer.org, Huttle noted that 40,460 women were expected to die of breast cancer. In addition, 178,480 new cases were expected to be diagnosed. “Early detection and diagnosis can decrease those rates,” she added. A second piece of legislation – Assembly Bill A-2842 - also reinforces the need for early intervention and detection of the disease. Sponsored by Assemblywoman Pamela R. Lampitt, D-6, who is an ardent supporter of the South Jersey chapter of City of Hope, the legislation would also provide a mandate to health insurers regarding MRI coverage. “I generally don’t like mandates, but we are fighting a very different fight now,” said Lampitt, whose mother was diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50. Lampitt, 48, has been labeled as high risk by her physician and has already had a lumpectomy. “My surgeon also wants to do bi-lateral MRI tests frequently. My insurer paid for round one but not round two,” she stated. Lampitt is concerned about women over 40 and noted that MRI testing can provide a much greater amount of detail. “An MRI can tell us much, much more and catch the disease before it goes any further. I would say that this act of prevention would save a significant amount of money and torture,” she added strongly. Dr. Beth Deutch, M.D., owner of HerSpace Breast Imaging Associates, supports the legislation in the context of strong risk assessment modeling. “There are many different risk models,” she said. Deutch noted that a group called the Breast MRI Consensus Panel was convened over one year ago by the American Cancer Society. “The group came out with criteria for groups of women who would benefit from MRI testing, and the biggest group was comprised of those with a 20% or higher risk for the disease,” Deutch added. She listed some factors which would figure in to that 20% risk assessment and cited the following: A previous personal history of the disease, a family member who has had the disease, or a family member with a gene mutation. “The point is that there are a number of ways to arrive at the risk number, and the hardest thing is to arrive at who exactly is at risk,” Deutch said. Another issue for Deutch is the question of who will actually be providing the risk assessment. “We cannot leave it to the obstetricians and gynecologists, and I believe it will probably fall into the hands of the breast imagers,” Deutch noted.  Both pieces of legislation were referred to the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee and will have to be released before any consideration is given on the floor of the New Jersey General Assembly. The Legislature will reconvene in September, and the three assemblywomen issued a strong call-to-action, emphasizing that proactive communication is tantamount to bill passage. “Women must call their legislators in droves,” stated Evans. Lampitt agreed and said, “Write your legislators, and engage them in a dialogue on women’s health issues”. Huttle explained that public pressure is very important and makes all the difference. “Contact your state legislators, but more importantly, contact the individual committee members and ask them to release the bill,” Huttle noted.
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| Last Updated on Friday, 10 October 2008 14:43 |
