Breast cancer survivor pushes for more affordable follow-up screenings in South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – The high cost of breast cancer screenings could be putting people in jeopardy in South Carolina, but a bill at the State House aims to make follow-up testing more affordable.

“I can’t continue to have this weight and this costs on my family,” said breast cancer survivor Sundi Herring.

In South Carolina, initial screenings for many women are usually covered but if a doctor recommends additional testing, patients can be stuck with high costs.

“I have children and we, you know, looking at college — all the things that may come up in their lives and I want to be able to support them,” Herring continued. “This is just a roller coaster ride that a lot of people are on.”

Supporters like Beth Johnson from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and Brenda Thorpe from the South Carolina Cancer Alliance said the bill will help with early detection.

“If we can detect cancer [during] early stage one or two, we know that we have a more successful chance of quality of life and overall outcome for the patient,” said Johnson.

“If you do not know that the abnormality that’s found in your mammogram, if you don’t know what that is because you don’t have money to pay for that follow up care, then you could be diagnosed at a late stage,” said Thorpe.

The bill said private insurers will need to cover all subsequent, medically necessary diagnostic tests with no copays, deductibles, or coinsurance.

“If there’s a tumor that’s, cancerous or there’s a tumor that’s being benign, you will not know without the follow up care. This is something that you have to know. You have to know. It’s always so important, so you can have, you can have a great quality of life,” Thorpe said.

The American Cancer Society said more than 25 states already have laws requiring some form of insurance coverage for breast imaging beyond initial screenings.

Lawmakers don’t go back to the State house to debate and vote on bills until January 2026.