Senate committee adopts amendment to require insurer coverage for cervical cancer screenings, requests Ways and Means review

The Senate Committee on Health Care adopted an amendment to Senate Bill 451 and voted to advance the bill to the floor while requesting a referral to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means for fiscal review.

Committee staff summarized the bill: it "prohibits certain health insurance carriers from imposing a deductible, coinsurance, co-payment, or any other out-of-pocket expense for medically necessary cervical cancer screenings and follow-up examinations." The measure, as amended by the dash-1, refines the definition of "cervical cancer screening" and exempts health savings account-qualified plans from the requirement.

Mr. Dietz told the committee that a fiscal question existed and that because fiscal staff flagged a potential impact the committee’s posture should include an additional referral to Ways and Means. The committee adopted the dash-1 amendment on a recorded roll call and then moved the amended bill to the floor requesting referral to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means. Recorded ayes included Senator Campos, Senator Lythmicum, Senator Reynolds, Vice Chair Hayden and Chair Patterson; the motions passed.

Supporters noted the clinical and public-health importance of early detection. One committee member referenced a television public-health advertisement to underline the urgency of screening and said, "the more that we can do to help, get a handle and detect and, cancer is just an awful thing that people, have to deal with. So I'll be supporting the bill." The amendment was described as brought by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and as not requiring coverage of treatment beyond diagnostic follow-up.