Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy will have to decide how much a woman's breast health is worth.

On his desk now sits a bill — already passed by the state House and Senate — that would force private insurers to cover the cost of breast tomosynthesis, or 3-D mammograms. Such mammograms are already a covered benefit for Medicare and Medicaid.

"I certainly hope, as I said, from a governor who has been very concerned about women's issues for many years, that he would understand the significance of this, the ultimate cost-savings of this, and the need to move into the 21st century,” said state House Minority Leader Rep. Themis Klarides(R-Derby) at a press conference in support of the bill. The bill was a priority for her and passed the Senate unanimously.
Malloy's communications director, Devon Puglia, said in a statement, “It’s certainly hard to question the governor’s record on women’s health issues. Like all bills, we’re looking at this legislation closely and its corresponding fiscal impact to the state as an unfunded mandate.”

The state's Insurance Department released a statement that estimated that mandating coverage for 3-D would cost $9 million in 2017, and that the state would have to cover the costs for all on the insurance exchange as well as state employees.

But Klarides countered the cost arguments at the press conference, stating that, "right now there are 41 percent false positives when you get a regular 2-D mammogram. So imagine the amount of money that will be saved without those false positives. Not to mention the emotional trauma that women go through when they get that phone call that says, '...we saw something. You have to come back.'"

Speaking after her, Dr. Lianne Philpotts, the chief of Breast Imaging at Yale-New Haven Hospital, stated that the results of using the technology are at this point clear, noting that "the data on 3-D mammography overwhelmingly, uniformly, is positive that it shows benefits over 2D, hands down there has not been a single study that did not show that.”

Connecticut has long been home to many in the insurance business. The bill has been met with resistance by the insurance industry, some of whom say the screening is unproven, and can be costly.

At the press conference, state Sen. Joan Hartley (D-Waterbury) countered, saying, "This is a fact, this will save time, save money, save lives."

The 3-D test typically costs about $175 in the state. This compares to a roughly $120 price-tag for standard 2-D, according to the Hartford Courant.

The new bill does not, however, provide coverage universally. Women with insurance from a town government or self-insured company would not see any change in benefits. This amounts to about 52 percent of employer-based insured women in the state.

The governor's possible veto is personal for one legislator, state Sen. Joe Crisco (D-Woodbridge). His wife is now receiving treatment for cancer – despite her annual mammograms and checks for the disease every four months.

“Chemotherapy treatments, surgery, and now she faces 12 sessions of radiation,” said a tearful Crisco according to the New Haven Register. “This new technology is offering new opportunities for physicians to diagnose breast cancer in women and provide life saving treatments earlier than ever.”

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