Bloomfield insurer Cigna said Tuesday it has revised its medical coverage policy for breast cancer screening and will now cover 3D mammography for routine breast cancer screening.
3D mammography, or or “breast tomosynthesis,” is a relatively new technology that advocates say helps detect cancers that a regular mammogram might not.
Cigna said it changed its policy, effective Aug. 23, based on recent guidance from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), a not-for-profit alliance of leading cancer centers that sets standards for cancer care.
But the change also follows a state law signed in June by Gov. Dannel Malloy, which starting in January will require private insurers to offer 3D mammography to women who request it in the place of a regular mammogram.
The Connecticut Association of Health Plans lobbied against the bill, saying it would increase the cost of health insurance and arguing that the technology’s clinical benefit hadn’t yet been adequately proven by science.
Under its previous policy, Cigna covered 3D mammography for diagnostic purposes, but not for routine screening. The company said its original policy had been based on guidance from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), which said there was insufficient evidence to determine that 3D mammography is clinically superior to traditional mammography for breast cancer screening.