Assemblyman Pedro Nava, D-Santa Barbara, announced that his legislation to guarantee access for all women to breast cancer screening was passed by the Assembly Health Committee on a 17 to 0 bipartisan vote on Tuesday.

“Breast cancer is a devastating disease, with more than 25,000 California women being diagnosed each year. By providing early screening and detection to all women, regardless of economic standing or geographic location, we will be able to save lives,” said Nava.

Assembly Bill 359 (AB 359) will require digital mammography screening to be covered under the Every Woman Counts (EWC) Cancer Detection Program administered by the California Department of Public Health when analog mammography is not available. In addition, it authorizes the use of digital mammography when both modes of screening are available. By doing so, AB 359 will increase access to digital mammography in publicly supported breast cancer screening programs.

Under current law, the EWC program only provides coverage for analog mammography – regardless of the fact that many doctors are upgrading to digital mammography for the detection and diagnosis of breast cancer. This measure will bring modern health tools into communities and increase doctors’ options for early detection.

A number of areas around the state have seen a decrease in access to breast cancer screening because of a lack of available analog mammography screening. In many communities digital mammography is available; however, current state law restricts women who are in the EWC Detection Program to only be eligible to receive an analog screening. AB 359 will change this requirement.

— John Mann is a spokesman for State Assemblyman Pedro Nava, D-Santa Barbara.