WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema cosponsored the bipartisan Protecting Access to Lifesaving Screenings (PALS) Act—legislation that protects Arizona women’s access to life-saving mammograms.
“Mammograms save women’s lives. We must ensure every woman has affordable access to these critical preventative services,” said Sinema.
In 2009, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that women aged 40-49 who do not have breast cancer symptoms do not need to receive a mammogram, despite the fact that the American Cancer Society estimates 9% of fatal cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women in their forties.
In 2015, Congress placed a two-year moratorium on the USPSTF recommendation, preventing insurance companies from using the recommendation to justify ending coverage of mammograms for women in their forties. The moratorium was twice extended, but expires on December 31, 2019. The PALS Act, supported by over 20 breast cancer advocacy groups, extends the moratorium, ensuring insurance companies continue covering mammograms for all women without cost-sharing requirements. The bill also protects women veterans’ access to mammograms through the VA.
