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Committee backs bill to cover certain integrative cancer therapies, including cold-cap and acupuncture
Summary
Senators adopted amendments and reported House Bill 357 to require private health-insurance coverage for integrative cancer treatments such as cryotherapy (extremity cooling), acupuncture for cancer-related symptoms and cold-cap therapy (to reduce chemotherapy-induced hair loss), with usage limits and exceptions in committee amendments.
The Senate Insurance Committee on June 4 voted to report House Bill 357 with committee amendments that narrow some coverage provisions and add utilization limits for certain integrative therapies used with cancer treatment.
Representative Tara Freeman introduced the measure as neutral to patient care and said the bill was informed by patient experience and clinical input. Committee amendments eliminated Medicaid from the bill’s immediate scope for budgetary reasons, set a 15-visit-per-plan-year default limit for acupuncture for active cancer treatment (with exceptions when nationally recognized cancer guidelines or the treating physician recommend additional sessions), and clarified that cold-cap therapy — a newer, higher-cost technology intended to reduce chemotherapy-induced alopecia — may carry a fiscal note and implementation process through the Department of Insurance.
Why it matters: Supporters and patients argued that complementary therapies such as acupuncture and cryotherapy improve quality of life, reduce symptom burden and can prevent or mitigate treatment side effects such as neuropathy or hair loss. Sponsor Representative Freeman described personal experience with cancer treatment and said coverage would normalize medically directed integrative care.
Committee action and next steps: The committee adopted amendment set 27-12 and reported House Bill 357 favorably. Senators asked insurers and providers to work with sponsors and the Department of Insurance on implementation details, prior-authorization criteria, and to clarify whether specific therapies will be covered as durable medical equipment or as medically necessary services.
Caveats: The committee added utilization limits to control costs and avoid open-ended coverage; the sponsor agreed to work with DOI on implementation. The cold-cap therapy item carries a fiscal note in committee discussion because it is not currently widely covered and is a specialized, high-cost service.
