Pennsylvania House Advances Colorectal Cancer Screening Bill

Legislation is moving forward in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (House Bill 1123) that would amend the state’s Insurance Company Law to mandate health insurance plans cover colorectal cancer screening tests without cost sharing beginning at age 45 instead of 50. Under the proposed measure, health insurers would have to provide coverage for nonsymptomatic individuals for: annual fecal immunochemical test; CT colonography at least every five years; and a multi-target stool DNA test every one to three years. Coverage for these tests must be provided without cost sharing — with no deductible, coinsurance or copayment.

If enacted, the measure would also mandate full coverage for follow-up colonoscopies after a positive noninvasive stool-based or visualization test result. “Colorectal cancer screening tests” are defined in the draft measure to include fecal occult or immunochemical tests, flexible sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, screening barium enema, CT colonography, multi-target stool DNA tests, or other tests consistent with approved medical standards.

For more information, contact Eugenia Brandt, ACR® Senior Government Relations Director, or Dillon Harp, Senior State Government Relations Specialist.

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