EDGEWOOD, Ky. — Two bills related to payment for cancer screenings passed through the Kentucky legislature.
Northern Kentucky doctors said the bills could help break financial barriers that have prevented people from seeking potentially lifesaving treatment.
Michael Gieske, director of lung cancer screening at the St. Elizabeth Cancer Center and the physician advisor for advocacy, has been on a mission to spread the message of the importance of screening.
“We know that if you detect cancer early, it’s much more easily cured, and it’s a whole lot less expensive to treat," he said. "We’re talking about thousands to tens of thousands of dollars to treat early-stage cancer versus hundreds of thousands of dollars to treat late-stage cancer."
However, issues such as copay, cost-sharing and out-of-pocket expenses have gotten in the way of that mission.
“That’s a disincentive for patients," Gieske said. "It’s a barrier. And some patients unfortunately decline seeking the care they really need because of the additional barriers of extra costs."
Two Kentucky bills that each passed through the legislature could help.
House Bill 52 would require health benefits plans to cover preventive cancer screenings and tests without requiring patients to pay a deductible charge for the services.
House Bill 115 seeks to eliminate copays and cost-sharing requirements for high-risk individuals who need follow-up diagnostic imaging to rule out breast cancer.
Terri Bogan, director of breast health for St. Elizabeth, said she supports the bills.
“It’s very real that the cost of medical care is a concern, and it’s a barrier for patients to always access the needed care,” she said. “Decreasing those barriers to be able to diagnose cancers at their earliest stage is really the key, and that’s what this legislation does.”
Gieske said more than 4,000 Kentuckians will get breast cancer this year. The fear surrounding it prevents too many women from coming in, Bogan said.
“Early-stage breast cancer is not frightening because we do a great job at treating early-stage breast cancers," Bogan said. "The thing to be fearful of is late-stage breast cancer."
"It’s very important to dispel the myth that 'I don’t want to know, and there’s nothing we can do about it anyway' because that’s just not true anymore.”
She said she's hopeful the financial component of that fear will be lessened.
Bogan added when it comes to breast cancer screenings, it’s also important to not just get one mammogram. She said the year-to-year comparison is what’s most informative in identifying subtle changes that could indicate cancer.