2025 Advocacy Day
April 23, 2025
8:30am – 4:30pm
State Capitol, Madison
Join us on April 23 and you will have the opportunity to help pass the most impactful breast cancer legislation in our state in decades!
“Gail’s Law,” named for our late friend and colleague Gail Zeamer, will require insurers to provide cost free coverage of necessary supplemental screenings for women at high risk for developing breast cancer – including the 40% of Wisconsin women with dense breast tissue. It will also require that they provide cost free coverage of any diagnostic tests needed as a follow up to a suspicious screening.
WBCC advocates will meet at the Capitol at 8:30 in room 425 SW. In the morning, you will hear from an experienced legislative aide about how to have productive meetings with legislators and their staff. We will review our priorities for the meetings and break into small groups to prepare. Then groups will head out into the Capitol for prearranged meetings with key legislators to gain support for Gail’s Law. EACH GROUP WILL HAVE AN EXPERIENCED LEADER, so no need to worry about not having done this before! By the end of the day, you’ll feel more than comfortable – you’ll feel empowered! This event is free and lunch is provided. We generally wrap up by 4:30.
Gail Zeamer began her journey with breast cancer with a diagnosis one week after a “clear” mammogram. It turned out a tumor was hiding behind dense breast tissue. While in treatment, she engaged her state representative and together they got legislation passed that required mammography centers to notify a woman after her mammogram if she is found to have dense breasts. It informs her that additional, supplemental screening other than mammography may be appropriate. This resulted in about 40% of Wisconsin women learning more about the risks of dense breast tissue (read more here). It also resulted in those women wondering if they could afford the out of pocket costs associated with supplemental screenings.
Her next step was to get those supplemental screenings covered with no costs. This is the third session that this legislation is being introduced, and each time, bipartisan support for the bill has grown. We believe this is our year! Unfortunately, Gail died from metastatic breast cancer last summer. But we are going forward with her fight. We hope you’ll join us and get this job done!
Registration closes April 18.
Looking for more ways to support our efforts in advocating for state policy? Consider making a donation.
Read about past Advocacy Days below:
2023 Advocacy Day
Dawn Anderson
(April 2023)
WBCC Advocates were back in Madison on April 19 after a four-year hiatus due to COVID and the legislature adjourning early in March of 2022. While we conducted a virtual Advocacy Day in fall of 2021, nothing compares to being together in our teams and sitting down in legislative offices! Our team of 17 conducted more than 35 meetings with legislators and staff in support of Senate Bill 121/Assembly Bill 117.
We picked up some key support for this bi-partisan bill. This bill will require Wisconsin insurers to cover supplemental screenings and diagnostic tests without cost sharing for women who:
- are considered at increased risk based on National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines or
- have heterogeneously or extremely dense breast tissue based on American College of Radiology guidelines
Senator Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R-19) is our champion on this bill and chairs the Senate Health Committee, where a hearing will be held for the bill in late May (date TBD). At least 5 WBCC patient advocates will be testifying in person in support of the bill.
Representative Clint Moses (R-29) is chair of the Assembly Health Committee and committed to our advocates that he would hold a hearing for the bill this summer. If you are in his district, please give his office a call and thank him for his support! This will be an uphill climb in the Assembly.
As part of our follow up to Advocacy Day and our work on this bill, we are asking for calls to be made to the following representatives. If you live in their district, please call and ask that they vote YES on SB 121/AB 117. It will save women’s lives!
Senator Andre Jacque (R-01), Senate Health Committee – 608-266-3512
Senator Patrick Testin (R-24), Senate Health Committee – 608-266-3123
Representative Robin Vos (R-63), Assembly Speaker – 608-237-9163
2021 Advocacy Day
On October 19, 2021, WBCC advocates met virtually with legislators and staff at the Wisconsin State Capitol.
Background
In 2017, Wisconsin joined many other states in passing legislation that required health care facilities to notify a woman, after her mammogram, if she has dense breast tissue. Dense breast tissue makes tumors harder to see on mammograms, and is also a risk factor in and of itself for developing breast cancer. Appropriate screening for dense tissue enables physicians to catch tumors early, before they become life threatening.
The mandated notification encourages women to follow up with their health care professional to discuss risk and the potential need for further screening. Unfortunately, not all health care plans will cover the cost of these additional essential screenings such as ultrasound or MRI. For that reason WBCC advocates urged legislators to support Wisconsin State Senate Bill 413 and Assembly Bill 416, which will ensure that the 40% of Wisconsin women with dense breast tissue receive the most effective breast cancer screening that is right FOR THEM.
READ MORE HERE
2019 Advocacy Day
On October 9, 2019, advocates met with 33 legislators and staff at the Wisconsin State Capitol.
State Advocacy Day is an opportunity for representatives from the Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition to meet with state legislators and their staff to discuss the issues facing breast cancer patients and survivors in Wisconsin, how current policy impacts them, and what we can do to address those issues.
The morning sessions prep attendees to discuss legislation and topics that affect breast cancer patients. After lunch, advocates meet with their state representatives.
