March 23, 2016 — Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed an amendment to the state’s 2013 breast density reporting bill Wednesday expanding the requirements for notification. The amended law goes into effect July 1, 2016.
The state had previously enacted Senate Enrolled Act (SEA) 414 three years ago, which required notification in the mammography report if a patient was determined to have dense fibroglandular breast tissue. SEA 414 also required the provision of insurance coverage for supplemental screening for women at least 40 years old determined to have high breast density.
“We never considered it a density reporting bill as the wording stated that women would be notified about their dense tissue only if they needed further follow-up or testing,” said Nancy Cappello, Ph.D., director and founder of advocacy group Are You Dense of the existing legislation. “Density reporting should not be contingent on anything other than reporting the woman’s breast tissue composition.”
The new amendment, designated House Bill (HB) 1272, removes the specific language that only required notification if high breast density was determined. All mammography reports must now include information about fibroglandular breast density, regardless of whether or not the patient is determined to be fibroglandularly dense.
With the approval, Indiana becomes the 25th state to adopt a full breast density notification law. Three other states — New Hampshire, Vermont and Mississippi — have introduced bills in 2016, and a total of eight states are currently debating similar legislation.
For more information: www.areyoudenseadvocacy.org
April 18, 2024 
