MADISON – Gov. Tony Evers signed legislation March 19 that will require insurance companies to provide additional screenings for breast cancer for women who need them.
Evers signed bill in the state Capitol alongside the family of Gail Zeamer who championed the bill before she succumbed to breast cancer two years ago.
“Gail was a wife and mother, friend and neighbor, and hers is a story shared by countless women across the state, each and every day,” Evers said before he signed the bill. “The system failed her, but however, in the face of adversity and unimaginable struggle, she chose to persevere, and now, thanks to Gail, Wisconsin will have not one, but two laws on the books to protect women’s health.”
Claudia and Sophie Zeamer, Gail Zeamer’s daughters, both said they were proud of the work their mom did before her passing, and were happy to see the bill cross the finish line, after years of advocacy.
“Even while finishing her own cancer journey, she kept pushing forward to fight for this,” Claudia Zeamer said. “She wasn’t doing it for attention or recognition. She did it because she cared so deeply about other people.
My mom taught me what it really means to be selfless, to do something, not because you’ll get anything out of it, but because it might make someone’s life better.”
The bill is named for Gail Zeamer of Neenah, who was diagnosed with late-stage cancer after doctors refused to have further screening done when it was discovered she had dense breast tissue. By the time doctors found the tumor, the cancer had spread to her brain.
She died at the age of 56 in June 2024, after an eight-year battle with cancer.
On a mammogram, dense breast tissue shows up as white, making it hard to see abnormalities in need of investigation. Gail Zeamer helped to pass a law, which was signed into law in 2018 by former Gov. Scott Walker, that required medical providers to tell women if they have dense breast tissue.
But notifying women about the dense tissue isn’t enough. They often need either an MRI or an ultrasound to ensure there isn’t evidence of cancer. Cancer is often undetectable in a mammogram for women with dense breasts.
Evers said during his speech that this year alone, over 6,000 women in Wisconsin will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and over 600 will lose their lives. But with early detection and required screenings, more women will be able to catch it early and undergo treatment to save their lives.
“We’re ensuring no one, no woman, slips through the cracks because they weren’t able to afford additional tests that weren’t covered by insurance,” he said. “With healthcare costs being at the forefront of so many families’ minds these days, I’m glad we are making this issue a priority together.”
The Assembly passed the bill nearly unanimously in February, and the Senate passed the bill in October last year. Despite partisan disagreement over the bill, it still made its way to Evers this spring, ending years of advocacy by the Zeamer family.
Steve Zeamer, Gail’s husband, said following the signing that it was surreal to see Evers put the pen to paper and sign the bill his family fought for, for so long.
“It’s phenomenal that everybody came together and realized how important this is for everybody, and going forward, how much of an impact this is going to have,” he said. “It’s a fantastic day for sure.”
Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X @SchulteLaura.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Evers signs long-sought breast cancer screening bill into law
Reporting by Laura Schulte, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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