Bill
SCR 114
Urge Congress to pass the Find It Early Act, guaranteeing no-cost breast cancer screening and diagnostic imaging for women with dense breasts or elevated risk.
Status & Key Dates
- Bill type: Senate Concurrent Resolution (memorializing/urging Congress)
- Introduced: March 7, 2025
- Committee action: Reported favorably by Senate Health, Human Services & Senior Citizens Committee (May 19, 2025)
- Senate amendment adopted (voice) June 2, 2025 (updates 2025 data and bill reference)
- Referred to EDU/HHS (Mar 11, 2025)
- Sponsors (metadata): Rhoads; Gabbard; Aquino; McKelvey; Chang; Fevella
- Companion/responsive measures: HCR 186, SR 95, ACR 144
Purpose
- To urge the United States Congress to enact the federal “Find It Early Act” (originally introduced as H.R. 3086) so that women at increased risk for breast cancer have guaranteed access to breast cancer screening and diagnostic imaging without cost-sharing.
Background & Rationale
- Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women and the second leading cause among women in New Jersey. The resolution cites American Cancer Society statistics (updated to 2025 in amendments): over 300,000 new U.S. breast cancer cases in 2024 and about 42,000 deaths.
- Early detection greatly improves outcomes: a cited five-year survival rate of 99% for cancers diagnosed before spread versus ~30% when cancer has metastasized.
- Nearly half of women over 40 have dense breast tissue, which reduces mammography sensitivity and can mask cancers; additional imaging (breast ultrasound, breast MRI) can improve detection but may not be covered by insurers, leading to high out-of-pocket costs or forgone care.
Key Provisions of the Resolution
- The Legislature of New Jersey formally urges Congress to pass the Find It Early Act, which would require health plans to cover breast cancer screening and diagnostic imaging (mammograms, breast ultrasounds, breast MRIs) for women with dense breasts or other elevated risk factors without cost-sharing.
- Directs that copies of the resolution be transmitted to U.S. congressional leaders and every New Jersey member of Congress.
Who Would Be Affected
- Primary beneficiaries (if the federal bill were enacted): people (primarily women) with dense breasts or other breast-cancer risk factors who need supplemental imaging.
- Insurers and federal health programs would be affected by any change in mandated coverage at the federal level.
- As a state concurrent resolution, New Jersey’s action is non‑binding — it expresses state legislative support and requests federal action but does not itself change coverage or funding.
Impact and Significance
- The resolution aims to increase affordability and access to supplemental breast imaging to improve early detection and survival. It is an advocacy tool intended to influence federal legislation rather than create state law or budgetary obligations.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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