{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://delauro.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/delauro-holds-press-conference-breast-cancer-awareness-highlighting", "DeLauro Holds Press Conference on Breast Cancer Awareness, Highlighting Find It Early Act at the Hewitt Center for Breast Wellness in Derby", "2022-10-24", "2022", "2022-10", "Democrat", "House", "CT", "Rosa L. DeLauro", "D000216", "delauro.house.gov", "delauro", "https://delauro.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro held a press conference with breast cancer awareness advocates and medical professionals at Griffin Health in Derby to highlight the timeline she secured for nationwide reporting standard in the Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act and her soon-to-be introduced Find It Early Act.\n\nEarlier this month, DeLauro asked the FDA to provide an update within the week on the status of the development of the breast density notification rule. The FDA\u2019s response arrived shortly after, acknowledging that the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) final rule would publish before the end of the 2022 calendar year or early 2023.\n\n\u201cIt means a great deal to me to join Griffin Health and all of the breast cancer advocates here at the Hewitt Center for Breast Wellness to talk about what we must do to detect breast cancer early and save women\u2019s lives,\u201d said Chair DeLauro. \u201cI introduced the Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act, based on Connecticut\u2019s law, requiring the information women and their health care providers receive after a mammogram includes a patient\u2019s relative breast density and the need for additional screenings to find breast cancer. As we all know, when it comes to surviving cancer, early detection is key \u2013 as 99 percent of women who receive an early diagnosis survive it. Let me be clear: women\u2019s lives are at stake. That is why I will be introducing the Find It Early Act that would mandate all insurance coverage to cover screening and diagnostic mammograms, breast ultrasounds, and breast MRIs, with no cost-sharing.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re proud to support greater access to leading technology, heightened awareness of the importance of early screening, and increased insurance coverage for important diagnostic tests, including mammograms, breast ultrasounds, and breast MRIs, as access to these technologies has had a positive impact on reducing breast cancer rates. The Valley had one of the highest breast cancer rates in the nation, and thanks to an evolution over past 20 years, that included advancements in technology, legislative support, and community awareness, we now have one of the lowest breast cancer rates in the nation. We feel that increasing access to breast cancer screening and treatment will help to continue this positive trend,\u201d said Christine Cooper, Assistant Vice President, Diagnostic Services at Griffin Hospital.\n\n\u201cAt Griffin, our patient-centered care philosophy empowers patients with access to health information and education throughout their entire care experience. It\u2019s what drives our personalized treatment plans, and is the reason why we advocated for Connecticut to be the first state to pass a law requiring that women and their providers receive information regarding their breast density after receiving a mammogram. When reviewing a mammogram, healthy fatty breast tissue looks almost black on a mammogram, and potentially harmful cells, such as breast masses and tumors, appear white on a mammogram. Dense breast tissue also appears white on a mammogram, which can mask or hide the presence of cancerous cells. We\u2019re grateful for the impact that The Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act has had on helping ensure women with dense breasts receive the necessary additional screenings, including breast ultrasound and breast MRI, to help identify potentially harmful breast tissue,\u201d said Denise Barajas, MD, Medical Director, Center for Cancer Care and Hewitt Center for Breast Wellness at Griffin Hospital\n\n\u201cAt Representative Rosa DeLauro\u2019s press conference yesterday, she showed to us advocates, she has a complete grasp of the issue of breast density. She has become the legislative leader, demanding the FDA take action on the new MQSA rule by the end of December, 2022. Her leadership of early detection will literally save many hundreds of lives across the nation,\u201d said Joseph Cappello, Director and Co-Founder of Are You Dense Advocacy, Inc.\n\n\u201cThe Find It Early Act, along with the FDA Regulation to provide uniform Federal language regarding Dense Breast Tissue Notification, will revolutionize the way Breast Cancer will be diagnosed by way of the earliest possible detection. In Connecticut I championed CT Public Act 22-90, the gold standard in the nation for the earliest possible early detection of both breast and ovarian cancer, with no financial barriers, no out-of-pocket costs for both screening and diagnostic mammograms, ultrasounds and MRI's. Cheers and applause for Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. She is an amazing warrior for the most critical women's health Issue, which, in my opinion, as a 10-year breast cancer survivor is breast cancer, said Jan Kritzman, Breast Cancer Patient-Advocate.\n\n\u201cThis legislation makes life saving screening and diagnostic testing available to all women across the country, rather than the present patchwork of state legislation, that poses barriers to access because of cost. All American women should have the same opportunity to saving their lives with breast cancer screening without socioeconomic discrimination. This is most important in women who are at the highest risk of developing breast cancer. State laws do not protect the Medicare population who, especially women in their 70s and 80s, who have the highest incidence of breast cancer. As well, women who are at high risk of developing breast cancer, including women with a strong family history of breast cancer, women with genetic mutations, women with a male family member with breast cancer, women with previous radiation exposure, women with previous premalignant breast biopsies, who the American Cancer Society recommends screening MRIs, based on evidence based research, are frequently denied access because of cost. Congresswoman DeLauro\u2019s federal legislation will help save lives of all American women by eliminating the cost of prohibitive deductibles or copays,\u201d said Dr. Kristen Zarfos, Medical Director of the Karl J. Krapek, Sr. Comprehensive Women\u2019s Health Center with Trinity Health Of New England Medical Group at Saint Francis Hospital\n\n\u201cI am really proud of the landmark bipartisan legislation we recently passed in Connecticut regarding coverage for breast cancer screening. It put us on the map as a gold star example of how we recognize and prioritize coverage for those with dense breast tissue. But there are gaps at the federal level that do not provide for coverage under Medicare, Medicaid, large employers, and self-insured accounts. Congresswoman DeLauro\u2019s introduction of the Find it Early Act will be critical to insuring that no person will have to forgo simple life-saving screenings because of the cost,\u201d said State Representative Dorinda Borer.\n\nThe Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act requires the Food and Drug Administration to issue a nationwide reporting standard to ensure the information women and their health care providers receive after a mammogram includes a patient\u2019s relative breast density and what additional screenings should be considered. The denser a woman\u2019s breast, the more likely it is she will have breast cancer, but the more difficult it is to spot cancer on a mammogram, which means additional screenings are recommended. That is why early detection, and notification of whether a woman has dense breasts or not, is key.\n\nThe Find It Early Act would mandate all insurance coverage to cover screening and diagnostic mammograms, breast ultrasounds, and breast MRIs, with no cost-sharing.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:34:28Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://delauro.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/delauro-holds-press-conference-breast-cancer-awareness-highlighting"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6170060262084007, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}