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Committee unanimously advances bill lowering routine colorectal screening age from 50 to 45
Summary
House Bill 1123 was reported unanimously after an amendment requiring coverage for specific screening modalities and exempting hospital indemnity plans; committee testimony emphasized racial and geographic disparities and a sponsor's personal loss.
The Pennsylvania House Insurance Committee unanimously reported House Bill 1123 as amended, requiring insurers to cover routine colorectal cancer screening beginning at age 45 rather than 50 and updating statutory references to the latest American Cancer Society guidance.
Amendment A01790, adopted unanimously, requires coverage of CT colonography, multi-target stool DNA tests, and follow-up colonoscopies after positive stool- or visual-based tests. The amendment also updated references for high-risk guidance, addressed cost sharing, added standard insurance boilerplate language, and exempted hospital indemnity plans.
Chairman Harris, the committee member who appeared to speak for the bill, described the change as aligning state law with federal guidance and the American Cancer Society, saying, “This change aligns with state law. This change will align our state law with the federal guidance and the recommendations of the American Cancer Society.” He emphasized early detection, citing American Cancer Society data in committee: “According to the American Cancer Society, when colorectal cancer is caught early before it spreads, the survival rate exceeds 90 percent.”
Harris delivered personal testimony describing the toll of the disease: he said his wife, Tiffany, was diagnosed May 19, 2023, with stage 4 colon cancer, underwent a 16-month fight and died on September 7; he framed the bill as a way to reduce such tragedies. The transcript records his remarks and the committee’s expressions of sympathy.
Representative Ledbetter and other members spoke in support, citing rising colorectal cancer rates among younger adults and persistent disparities in screening access. The transcript includes a committee statement that “over the last decade, colorectal cancer diagnosis among adults under the age of 50 have increased by 50 percent” and that “more than 6,500 Pennsylvanians will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer” in the current year; those figures were quoted from American Cancer Society data during committee remarks.
The committee adopted the amendment and reported the bill as amended by a unanimous vote. The transcript indicates the committee previously considered and revised an earlier amendment to exempt hospital indemnity plans; the final amendment (A01790) incorporated that exemption.
The provided excerpt does not include a fiscal note or detailed implementation timeline. The bill updates statutory citations and requires coverage for the specified screening modalities; the transcript did not list implementation deadlines beyond ordinary insurance plan-year processes.
