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Substitute to HB 420 would require insurers to cover cancer‑related genetic testing when family history is present, sponsor says
Summary
A sponsor presented a substitute to House Bill 420 that would require carriers to pay for genetic testing related to cancer when a patient has family history; the bill would treat testing like other covered services with coinsurance, and committee members had brief questions but no vote was taken.
A substitute to House Bill 420 was presented to the Insurance Subcommittee on Life and Health proposing coverage of genetic testing for cancer when family history indicates inherited risk. The sponsor said the substitute would require carriers to pay for genetic testing for inherited mutations or variants associated with cancer and that such testing would be covered under health plans and subject to any applicable coinsurance.
The sponsor told the committee the measure focuses specifically on cancer testing and would not expand to unrelated genetic tests. "It covers genetic testing for an inherited mutation of any variant of a gene ... but it's relating, specifically, to cancer," the sponsor said in response to a committee question. Committee members asked clarifying questions about scope and whether the bill was limited to cancer; the sponsor confirmed it was specific to cancer‑related genetic testing.
According to the sponsor, coverage would treat genetic testing as any other health service, with applicable copays or coinsurance. A representative from the insurance industry, when asked to weigh in, indicated no objection to the concept. The committee held the item as a hearing; no vote was recorded.
