House OKs bills expanding insurance coverage for cancer-support therapies, infant specialty formulas and a liver cancer procedure

Lede The Louisiana House on May 20 approved a set of health insurance bills aimed at expanding coverage for targeted therapies and medically necessary nutritional and therapeutic interventions for infants and cancer patients.

Nut graf Representatives on the floor approved measures including a package carried by Rep. Jill Freeman to require coverage of three cancer‑support therapies (cold‑cap therapy, cryotherapy kits and acupuncture), a bill by Rep. Stephanie Hilferty to require coverage of amino‑acid–based formula for infants with medically necessary conditions, and a measure to add coverage for histotripsy procedures for some liver cancers. Supporters said the bills align state coverage with practices in other states and address out‑of‑pocket costs patients now bear.

Body Rep. Jill Freeman, a cancer survivor who carried the cancer‑coverage bill, described the treatments during floor debate and said they address side effects patients endure after surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. “The first one is cold cap therapy,” Freeman told the House, explaining the method “freezing the follicles of your hair to stop the chemotherapy from getting to that area” and noting individual costs “upwards of $3,000.” She said cryotherapy kits (gloves and booties) cost as little as $40 online but are often paid out of pocket, and that acupuncture at oncology centers eases neuropathy, anxiety and insomnia for many patients.

Freeman’s bill was amended to exclude Medicaid patients at the request of appropriations leaders; sponsors said they removed Medicaid due to uncertainties about ongoing state Medicaid commitments and to limit fiscal exposure while extending coverage for privately insured patients. The House passed the measure 95‑2.

Rep. Stephanie Hilferty sponsored a bill requiring coverage for amino‑acid–based elemental formulas for infants when medically necessary, noting 24 other states cover such formulas and that a single can can run about $50. She said insurers would have to require a recommendation from an allergist or gastroenterologist to confirm medical necessity. The House approved that bill 94‑0.

Hilferty also sponsored a bill (separate) requiring coverage for histotripsy — an ultrasound‑directed, noninvasive liver tumor procedure approved by Medicare — for medically necessary cases; sponsors said such coverage is routine under Medicare and the measure aligns private coverage with that practice.

Ending All three measures cleared the House with broad bipartisan support and will move to the Senate. Sponsors said they would work with insurers, providers and appropriations staff on final implementation details; proponents noted the bills aim to reduce out‑of‑pocket costs and broaden access to therapies many clinicians now endorse.