Urges Congress to enact "Find It Early Act."

SCR97

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 97

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 9, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� M. TERESA RUIZ

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

Co-Sponsored by:

Senator Amato

SYNOPSIS

���� Urges Congress to enact �Find It Early Act.�

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

A
Concurrent Resolution
urging Congress to
enact the �Find It Early Act.�

Whereas,
Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths
among women in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer deaths
among women in New Jersey; and

Whereas,
According to the American Cancer Society, in 2025,
over 310,000 new cases of breast cancer will be identified and approximately
42,100 women will die from breast cancer in the United States; and

Whereas,
Screenings for breast cancer, such as mammography,
aim to reduce mortality and morbidity of breast cancer by detecting cancer in
its early stage; and

Whereas,
Early detection of breast cancer is critical, as
the five-year survival rate is 99 percent when breast cancer is diagnosed
before it has spread outside of the breast; and

Whereas,
The five-year survival rate for breast cancer
decreases to approximately 30 percent when diagnosed after the cancer has
spread to distant parts of the body, such as the lungs, liver, or bones; and

Whereas,
The United States Preventive Services Task Force
recommends that all women get screened for breast cancer every other year
beginning at age 40; and

Whereas,
Nearly half of all women over the age of 40 have
dense breasts, which is associated with increased risk of developing breast
cancer; and

Whereas,
Dense breast tissue may obscure the visual imaging
performed by mammograms, making cancer harder to detect in its early stage; and

Whereas,
The reduced sensitivity of mammography for
detecting cancer in dense breasts is a major contributing factor to the missed
early detection of breast cancer, accounting for an estimated 267,000
undetected cases of breast cancer in 2021 alone; and

Whereas,
To ensure that the cancer is not missed by
mammograms, individuals with dense breasts or other breast cancer risk factors,
including genetics or a personal or family history of cancer, may seek
additional screenings, such as breast ultrasounds or breast magnetic resonance
imaging (MRIs), which may better detect breast cancer; and

Whereas,
However, because the costs of breast ultrasounds
and MRIs may not be fully covered by insurance, women who are at greater risk
of breast cancer may be faced with incurring exorbitant out of pocket costs or
forgoing the screenings altogether; and

Whereas,
Recognizing that the high costs of additional
breast cancer screenings may result in delayed diagnoses, on April 10, 2025,
United States Senator Amy Klobuchar introduced S. 1410, known as the �Find It
Early Act,� which would require all health insurance plans to cover breast
cancer screenings and diagnostic imaging, including mammograms, breast
ultrasounds, and breast MRIs, for women with dense breasts or other breast
cancer risk factors at no cost to the insured; and

Whereas,
By ensuring that breast cancer screenings and
diagnostic imaging are covered without cost-sharing, the �Find It Early Act�
will improve the affordability of and increase access to screenings to detect
breast cancer early; and

Whereas,
As early detection is key to significantly
improving the survival rates of women with breast cancer, it is therefore in
the public interest of the nation and the State of New Jersey for Congress to
take swift action to enact the �Find It Early Act�; now, therefore,

����
Be It
Resolved
by the Senate of the State of New
Jersey (the General Assembly concurring):

���� 1.� The Legislature of New
Jersey urges Congress to enact the �Find It Early Act.�

���� 2.� Copies of this resolution,
as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the
General Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate to the Majority and Minority
Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the
United States House of Representatives, and every member of Congress elected
from this State.

STATEMENT

���� This resolution urges Congress
to enact the �Find It Early Act� to ensure women who are at greater risk for
breast cancer have access to breast cancer screenings without cost-sharing.

���� Breast cancer is a leading
cause of cancer deaths among women in the United States and the second leading
cause of cancer deaths among women in New Jersey.� Screenings for breast cancer
aim to reduce the mortality and morbidity of breast cancer by detecting cancer
in its early stage.� Early detection of breast cancer is critical.� The
five-year survival rate is 99 percent when breast cancer is diagnosed before it
has spread outside of the breast compared to approximately 30 percent when
found at a later stage.

���� Approximately half of women
over age 40 have dense breast tissue, which can obscure imaging performed by
mammograms and delay the detection of breast cancer.� To ensure that the cancer
is not missed by mammograms, individuals with dense breasts or other risk
factors may seek additional screenings, including breast ultrasounds and MRIs,
which may be better able to detect cancer.� Such services, however, may not be
covered by insurance, leaving women to choose between paying exorbitant out of
pocket costs or forgoing the screenings.

���� Recognizing that the high
costs of additional breast cancer screenings may result in delayed diagnoses,
Congress introduced S. 1410, known as the �Find It Early Act,� which would
ensure all health insurance plans cover breast cancer screenings and diagnostic
imaging, including breast ultrasounds and MRIs, for women at increased risk of
breast cancer at no additional cost to the insured.� The Legislature of New
Jersey urges Congress to enact the Find It Early Act to improve the
affordability of and increase access to screenings needed to detect breast
cancer early to improve the survival rates of individuals with breast cancer.