Under a new legislation Michigan doctors will soon have to release breast density information to women, on how patients pay for follow-up tests and whether they should get further screening.

A recommended yearly mammogram may not always detect cancer in women who have dense breast tissue. Women who learn their breast tissue is dense may want further testing to ensure they don't have cancer.

But opting for extra testing could be expensive. Laurie Lucas said she never had a choice. She got her first annual mammogram when she turned 40 and never missed one.

Lucas said she didn’t know she had dense breasts and the fibrous tissue makes it harder for a mammogram to spot cancer.

She said she would have known that she would have pushed for an ultrasound then. But no one ever told her about this, she added.

It was found that Lucas had an abnormal mammogram in 2013. Her doctor ordered another mammogram and an ultrasound. After the second mammogram was considered 'normal,' her doctor canceled the ultrasound.

Lucas said, “You trust what your doctor tells you. If a doctor comes out and says, 'We don't need to do further testing. You're fine,' you believe that”.

Now, almost after two year after her cleared that second mammogram and canceled the follow-up ultrasound, Lucas has stage four breast cancer, which has metastasized and was spreading.

New state legislation aims to prevent another story like Lucas’. Michigan's dense breast notification law, which goes into effect June 1, requires doctors to tell their patients if they have dense breasts and explain what that means.

But so far there is no guarantee whether insurance will cover further testing or not.

Richard Murdock, the executive director of the Michigan Association of Health Plans said that one has to decide whether one can afford to pursue the procedure. And if one can’t afford it, he’ she is left with nothing.