Surviving Breast Cancer Has Given Julie Stokes a New Legislative Purpose
She is pushing to require her state to cover 3D mammograms as the minimum standard
Now in good health and back at work, Stokes strongly believes that if she had gotten a more sophisticated, 3D mammogram, she would have received a diagnosis sooner, thereby making treatment easier. “I might have averted that whole thing and caught it before it spread to lymph nodes and before it upended my life in some major ways,” she said. As a result, she motioned the bill – House Bill 460 - requiring insurance providers in Louisiana to cover specialized screenings, including 3D mammograms as the minimum standard. Stokes received tremendous encouragement from the committee and state representative Vincent Pierre D-Lafayette thanked her for bringing the matter up. House Bill 460 was approved unanimously and has since been cleared by the House. It is currently pending approval by the state Senate.
