Idaho mandates enhanced breast cancer screening coverage for high-risk women

BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — BOISE, Idaho — Starting in July, Idaho law requires health insurance providers to cover the cost of enhanced breast cancer screening for women with high-risk factors.

Governor Brad Little signed HB134 this week, after it received nearly unanimous bipartisan support.

The proposal was inspired by Democratic Representative Brooke Green's battle with breast cancer after supplemental screening helped doctors diagnose her in 2024.

She said this was one of the most meaningful pieces of legislation she's been involved with. "The impact to our communities, both men and women. We are saving lives, and it's certainly worth celebrating," she said in a video posted to social media.

This coverage extension came during the first full year that the Treasure Valley's two largest healthcare providers, St. Luke's Health System and Saint Alphonsus Health System, offered all supplemental tests suggested for dense breast tissue, one of the risk factors listed in the law. It also came about six months after the FDA's rule requiring healthcare providers to disclose breast density to patients.