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Committee supports insurance coverage for scalp‑cooling systems; PEIA removed for now
Summary
The committee adopted an amendment to exclude PEIA from House Bill 3505 and reported the bill to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass as amended and referral to Finance; sponsor testimony stressed potential benefit to chemotherapy patients and a cited PEIA fiscal estimate of $3.3 million.
The Senate Health committee voted to report House Bill 3505 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass as amended after adopting an amendment that removes the Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) from the bill’s immediate coverage requirements.
Counsel summarized the bill as requiring health‑benefit plans issued or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2026, that cover cancer or chemotherapy treatment to also cover scalp‑cooling systems used to prevent or reduce hair loss during chemotherapy. Counsel said coverage could be subject to annual deductibles and coinsurance, and that the bill would apply across multiple types of plans, including PEIA and Medicaid, unless amended.
Delegate Walter Hall (Kanawha County) testified in support and described the bill’s intent to improve psychological and quality‑of‑life outcomes for patients facing chemotherapy hair loss. Hall noted a PEIA fiscal-note estimate in the hearing packet of $3.3 million upon full implementation, which he said appeared based on 1,942 PEIA‑insured chemotherapy patients and that the actual number eligible for scalp cooling would be smaller.
The committee adopted an amendment by the senior senator from the Seventeenth to exclude PEIA from the bill for the current year, which counsel stated would reduce the current fiscal impact to zero for PEIA and allow the Finance Committee to evaluate budget implications later. The vice chair moved and the committee adopted a strike‑and‑insert and then voted to report House Bill 3505 as amended to the full Senate with a double committee reference to Finance.
Counsel said the bill carries a PEIA fiscal‑note but the Insurance Commissioner submitted a note indicating no direct fiscal impact to that office; the Bureau for Medical Services had been asked for a fiscal note and had not submitted one by the hearing.
