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Committee advances bill to clarify colorectal screening coverage and require coverage for FDA-approved bowel preps
Summary
House Bill 421 would require health benefit plans to fully cover FDA-approved bowel preparation medications with no out-of-pocket cost and to update guidance for high-risk patients; the committee amended and passed the bill unanimously.
House Bill 421, which would clarify coverage requirements for colorectal cancer screenings and require coverage for all FDA-approved bowel preps without out-of-pocket costs, passed the committee as amended and was reported favorably with an expression that it should pass on the House floor.
Representative Amy Neighbors, sponsor of the bill, said the statute governing colorectal screening coverage has been updated several times since its 2008 enactment and needs to be updated again. Neighbors told the committee the bill has two main points: it would make clear that "all FDA approved bowel preps are fully covered by the health plan with no out of pocket cost to the patient and without any prior authorization issues for the provider and the patient," and it would clarify coverage for high-risk individuals by adopting the Multi-Society Task Force guidelines for high-risk patients while keeping American Cancer Society guidelines for average-risk screening.
Doctor Whitney Jones, who appeared with the sponsor, spoke to clinical reasons for covering the most effective and tolerable preps. Representative Blockett asked about the fiscal-impact statement; the transcript records a staff response that the fiscal statement showed minimal or no fiscal impact on local governments that sponsor health benefit plans and that the bill "could save thousands of dollars here in the state." The committee recorded a motion by Representative Hebron and a second by Representative Lewis and then adopted the committee substitute; a roll call produced unanimous support and the chair announced the bill passed as amended.
Sponsor Neighbors also disclosed a personal connection to the issue, saying she was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 40 and that her children would need earlier screening; she described early detection as giving the greatest opportunity for prevention and treatment. The transcript does not include the full statutory text as read into the record; the committee advanced the amended bill to the House floor.
