Georgia hearing examines bill to cover prostate screening for high‑risk men ages 40–49

Representative Glaze told the Insurance Subcommittee on Life and Health she is sponsoring House Bill 373 to require private insurers to cover prostate cancer screening during annual exams for men ages 40–49 who are at elevated risk because of family history or military or firefighting service.

Glaze said the American Cancer Society estimates about 10,000 new cases of prostate cancer in Georgia in 2025 and more than 1,100 deaths, and that "Georgia has the fifth highest prostate incident cancer in The United States. It has the eighth mortality rate of prostate cancer." She said the bill would specifically target men 40 to 49 with a family history — defined in her presentation to include first‑degree relatives as well as uncles and fathers — and veterans and firefighters, who she said face elevated risk.

"We're asking in this bill that private insurance would pay for this during the annual exam," Glaze said, noting the average cost of the exam for men 40–49 is about $33 (reported range $18–$84). She argued earlier detection can prevent later‑stage disease because "most of the signs of prostate cancer do not show until you're at the last stage. But screening can catch prostate cancer in the first stage and we can prevent it."

Derek Holloway, a cancer survivor who appeared with the sponsor, told the committee he supports HB 373 and described his own diagnosis after an elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) test. "I might have been like my uncle who passed away, and I just found out that he had prostate cancer after I got diagnosed with prostate cancer," Holloway said. He described rapid increases in his own PSA — from 6.99 to 8.08 to 12.6 to 14.45 over repeated tests — and said he had no symptoms prior to testing. "If I did not have access to this blood test, through my private provider, then I would not be standing before you today," Holloway said.

Jesse Wetherington, president of the Georgia Association of Health Plans, said his trade group is "opposed to House Bill 373 as written," expressing particular concern about the section that would eliminate cost sharing for the specified tests. He urged that cost sharing remain in place and said preventive‑care coverage guidance comes from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which determines what items are considered true preventive care and exempt from cost sharing. "We would want that piece excised from the bill," Wetherington said, adding that some plans already cover PSA testing and that the bill would affect State Health Benefit Plan and Medicaid and therefore require a fiscal note.

Committee members asked about TRICARE and other existing coverage; Glaze said TRICARE and some military‑related plans already identify high‑risk members and use screening. She also confirmed the sponsor seeks to focus the mandate on private insurance rather than statewide public plans (as presented in the substitute during the hearing). The committee did not vote on HB 373; the meeting record shows this was a hearing only.

Clarifying details recorded in the hearing include Glaze's reported cost range for the PSA exam ($18–$84) and Holloway's PSA results and follow‑up schedule. Committee members pressed on who would be covered (family history definition, veterans, firefighters) and whether the bill would alter screening age thresholds in state or federal programs.

The hearing concluded without formal action; proponents said the measure is intended to detect cancer earlier among men the sponsor identified as higher risk, while insurers called for preserving cost sharing and for alignment with federal preventive‑care guidance.