Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday signed into law legislation that will require insurers to cover breast magnetic resonance imaging or ultrasounds for women at increased risk of breast cancer.

This makes Pennsylvania one of few states mandating insurance companies pay the bulk of the high cost that can run into the hundreds and thousands of dollars associated with these supplemental screenings for women with the following criteria:

• A personal or family history of breast cancer or genetic predisposition to it;
• Extremely dense breast tissue; or
• Heterogeneously dense breast tissue with one other high-risk factor for breast cancer.
• Under the law, the patient still may be responsible for co-pays, co-insurance and/or deductibles based on the individual’s health insurance policy.

The new law applies only to insurance companies that issue policies covered under Pennsylvania law.