Cincinnati Advocate Pushes for Better Cancer Screening
Michele Young is calling on state legislators to remove financial barriers that block patients from receiving breast MRIs.
Updated on Oct. 30, 2026 in Cancer
Michele Young, a co-founder of the Pink Eraser Project living in Cincinnati, is advocating for expanded access to breast cancer screenings. She is specifically targeting legislative changes to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for breast MRIs.
Why it matters
Young seeks to remove critical financial barriers that often prevent women from accessing essential breast cancer diagnostic tools. By pushing for policy reform, she aims to ensure earlier detection and more equitable treatment paths for patients across the state.
Breast MRIs typically cost patients between $1,000 and $2,000 out-of-pocket, representing a significant financial barrier to screening. An Ohio bill currently stalled in committee seeks to eliminate these co-pays for residents.
The players
Michele Young
She is a Cincinnati-based advocate and co-founder of the Pink Eraser Project who has lived with stage four metastatic breast cancer for nine years.
Pink Eraser Project
This organization is an advocacy group that focuses on pushing for medical breakthroughs and policy changes related to cancer screening and treatment.
The details
Young has spent nine years living with stage four metastatic breast cancer and currently reports no evidence of disease following a seven-month period. She works with legislators to build on the foundation of Ohio House Bill 371, which previously aimed to improve screening accessibility.
Timeline
Ohio House Bill 371 passed in 2021 to address screening accessibility.
Young's cancer spread to her spine and liver in 2025.
The patient showed no evidence of disease in March 2026.
Health Landscape
The current advocacy follows the precedent set by the 2021 passage of Ohio House Bill 371, which established the state's initial framework for increasing screening accessibility. These efforts represent a continued push to update healthcare policies to better serve oncology patients.
Removing high out-of-pocket costs for breast MRIs could make life-saving diagnostic imaging accessible to patients regardless of their financial status. This policy shift would alleviate the current burden of paying $1,000 to $2,000 for standard screening procedures.
The takeaway
Advocacy for medical screening reform highlights the ongoing need to address the high costs of diagnostic care for chronic illnesses. Patients and families can track the progress of local health legislation to understand potential changes in their own coverage and out-of-pocket medical expenses.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest developments in Cancer screenings and advocacy.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WKRC.
