CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Beginning in 2026, breast cancer testing will be more affordable in Virginia. Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) signed two bills into law on Monday, March 24 -- House Bill 1828 and Senate Bill 1436 -- which both have to do with the cost of breast cancer screenings. "If yo u can imagine going into a doctor's office and having a surprise $500 out of pocket costs -- so many families, so many women can't afford that, and they will walk right out of the office instead of getting that breast examination done," said Del. Shelly Simonds (D-Newport News). "The bill is really about affordability and making sure that there are no barriers to care out there." Under this legislation, health insurance companies will be prohibited from charging patients co-pays, deductibles or any other fees for breast cancer testing like mammograms, breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) or breast ultrasounds. Crissy Wingfield of Chesterfield County is a 5-year breast cancer survivor. She explained to 8News that the enactment of both bills into law is monumental. "My family...my kids really are what was in my mind when I was going through all that," Wingfield said. "It costed me on average, about $7,000 to get all that testing done, even with my medical plan and I did not have a high deductible at the time—it was very costly." Wingfield shared her story where she first detected her former cancer. "I was on vacation and we were putting sunscreen on and I just happened to find it [a lump]," Wingfield said. "I went in and I got my mammogram done immediately, went to get my ultrasound done and they confirmed it was breast cancer right then." Wingfield said that hefty costs are a big reason why someone may not go through breast cancer testing. "It's beyond dangerous," Wingfield said. "It's the unknown, and you really have to think about not just yourself, but you have to think about your entire family — but, understandably, the cost is just ... it really is a burden, a huge burden." Wingfield also emphasized the importance of genetic testing. "If it's an aunt, a grandmother, a mother -- any family history, you can go talk to your doctor and ask them, or tell them about that history and get your mammogram prior to the age of 40," she said. "They just have to work with your insurance or code it properly and then they can get that done every year." These bills will become law starting in 2026. ...read more read less