Legislation that would require insurance companies to cover home saliva cancer screening tests for at-risk individuals is one step closer to becoming law in Illinois.
House Bill 3202, sponsored in the Senate by State Senator Seth Lewis (R-Bartlett), received unanimous approval by the Senate Insurance Committee on Tuesday. The bill previously received a unanimous vote on the floor of the House of Representatives.
“It is a pleasure to work with my House counterpart, State Representative Jennifer Sanalitro (R-Bartlett), on this important legislation,” said Lewis. “Providing individuals who are at-risk for developing certain types of cancer need access to these potentially life-saving tests. As lawmakers, we need to ensure there is no cost barrier that would prevent patients from having access to tests that could help detect biomarkers for early-stage cancer.”
According to Lewis, there are several coverage mandates related to cancer screenings and treatment currently in the state statutes, including breast cancer pain medications and therapy, pap tests and prostate cancer screenings, genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancers, and colorectal cancer exams and screenings. The Affordable Care Act also requires coverage of many preventative screenings, such as cholesterol screenings, depression, Hepatitis B and C, blood pressure, and lung cancer screenings.
“We must ensure a comprehensive approach to health screenings, especially when it comes to cancer,” added Lewis. “This deadly disease takes too many lives, so providing access to tests that assist with early detection is incredibly important.”
House Bill 3202 is Senator Lewis’ second piece of legislation that provides for insurance coverage for biomarker testing for cancers. In 2021, he passed House Bill 2109, known as “Cal’s Law,” which provides for individualized cancer treatment through diagnostic biomarker testing for children with cancer.