Illinois Medicaid covers genetic tests for breast/ovarian cancer

Good news for the state of Illinois!

Women who are at high risk for developing breast and/or ovarian cancer will receive insurance coverage under Medicaid. Genetic tests for BRCA1 and BRCA2, and counseling will be available for low-income women with a strong family history of breast cancer or previous cancer diagnosis, writes the Chigaco Tribune.

Women with mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene are 3 to 7 times more likely to develop breast cancer, and have a 16 to 60 percent lifetime risk for getting ovarian cancer than women without the mutations. Last year, about 22,000 low-income women enrolled in Medicaid were treated for breast cancer.

Let’s hope other states follow suit, so more women with very little resources can have themselves tested. What’s not clear from the article, and from the press release, if treatment is covered by Medicaid.

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