By Margie Donlon and Luanne Peterpaul

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We want to make LD11 residents aware of some of the resources available for testing and treatment as well as some of our legislative initiatives to fight the disease.

New Jersey ranks among the top states for breast cancer rates, at roughly 138 cases per 100,000 women. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the state with more than 8,600 new cases diagnosed each year. Monmouth County reports some of the highest incidence rates in the state, according to the state Department of Health. 

However, catching breast cancer early when it is still localized yields a five-year survival rate of approximately 99 percent. 

Since the first Breast Cancer Awareness Month more than 40 years ago, breast cancer death rates in the U.S. have dropped by 44 percent. This is as a result of greater awareness, increases in early detection, and advancements in treatment, according to the National Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation. 

Access to healthcare is a top priority for our LD11 office and we have sponsored a number of bills to help people diagnosed with cancer.

Annual screenings for breast cancer are generally recommended starting at age 40, with 3D mammography serving as a standard approach. But the National Breast Cancer Foundation reminds us that breast cancer doesn’t wait. Right now, someone is getting the news that they have breast cancer and doesn’t know what to do next. Someone is starting treatment and needs support to make it through. You can get more information or help by donating to the National Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation at their website, www.nationalbreastcancer.org/.

If you are over 40, we urge you to ask your medical professional about getting tested for breast cancer and to encourage family members and friends to talk to their doctor about getting tested. 

In the current legislative session, we are sponsoring A3128, which requires health insurance coverage of diagnostic and supplemental breast examinations without cost-sharing. Under the bill, “diagnostic breast examination” means medically necessary and appropriate, in accordance with National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines. 

The bill defines “supplemental breast examination” to include contrast-enhanced mammography, breast magnetic resonance imaging, breast ultrasound, or molecular breast imaging. The legislation would require coverage of breast screening even when there is no abnormality seen or suspected based on personal or family medical history. It also covers additional factors that increase the individual’s risk of breast cancer such as family history of cancer.

We also cosponsored A2540, the "Cancer Patient Care and Compassion Act," which provides protections for Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal cancer patients. The bill requires health insurance carriers and other entities contracted to administer health benefits in connection with the State Health Benefits Program and School Employees’ Health Benefits and the NJ FamilyCares/Medicaid programs to provide coverage.  

This legislation also prohibits residential mortgage lenders from serving a notice of intention to cure a default on a mortgage to a debtor undergoing treatment for Stage III, Stage IV, or terminal cancer. 

Last year, along with our LD11 partner, Senator Vin Gopal, we succeeded in getting our legislation, A4163, which requires health insurers to provide coverage for biomarker precision medical testing, signed into law. In addition to early detection of cancer and the potential to develop cancer, getting biomarker testing may provide information that enables patients to forgo ineffective treatments and eliminate their potentially harmful, life-altering side effects. Not only does it save lives, it also reduces healthcare costs by eliminating costly treatments that may prove ineffective. Be proactive and use these preventative resources. 

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