Gov. John Carney signs two bills into law building upon insurance coverage expansions for women’s health conditions.
Under the new laws, private health insurers, as well as the state employee health plan and Medicaid, will be required to cover annual mammograms for women over the age of 40.
The new bill also prohibits carriers from requiring a referral for these annual mammograms.
This past legislative session included several bills expanding coverage within women’s health specifically, and State Rep. Kim Williams (D-Stanton), a sponsor of one of the bills, says this type of legislation changes the narrative around previously taboo subjects.
“Years ago, we wouldn’t talk about these things, and I like that there’s more focus on women’s health and the importance of treating and diagnosing and having these screenings so early on for us just to catch these diseases.”
Carney also codified the insurance coverage requirement for ovarian cancer monitoring tests for women at risk of the disease.
That requirement was split into two separate pieces of legislation to ensure private plans would have the option ready by Jan. 2025, followed by a bill he signed last week additionally requiring the state employee plan and Medicaid to provide the same coverage.
While some legislators pushed back on adding more insurance mandates amid the rising cost of healthcare, Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro encourages a future-focused perspective.
He explains by covering these screenings, it enables early detection and life-saving measures for women, which will save costs down the line, and the impact on cost of care has so far been negligible.
“When the General Assembly continues to add these new essential health benefits, they could have an impact on premiums, but to be honest, that impact is de minimis. So all of these bills, like I mentioned earlier, will save lives, and it’s really hard to quantify the value of a human life.”
The Department of Insurance says because the new mammogram requirements change parameters of coverage rather than creating a completely new mandate, the department will provide a flexibility period in terms of enforcement.
In a statement, Chief Executive Officer of the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition Francesca Vogel said, “The DBCC is very appreciative for the enactment of this legislation and thanks Governor Carney for his support and Rep. Kimberly Williams as the primary sponsor of the bill. DBCC was instrumental in providing support for this bill in legislative hearings. As a nonprofit providing public health services in facilitating mammography screenings and breast cancer survivor support services for more than 33 years throughout Delaware, we are glad that this legislation will help to address a barrier women often face to receiving timely screenings and that annual mammograms will be covered by health insurance companies for women 40 and older with or without a referral.”
The General Assembly also codified insurance requirements for abortion, non-prescription birth control and doula services this year.
