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Senate passes bill to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for follow-up cervical cancer diagnostics
Summary
Senate Bill 1527 passed with bipartisan support to require coverage of follow-up diagnostic testing after initial cervical cancer screenings, removing out-of-pocket costs that sponsors said can reach $700–$1,000.
The Oregon Senate passed Senate Bill 1527 on third reading, a bipartisan measure clarifying that follow-up diagnostic testing after an initial screening for cervical cancer is part of the diagnostic process and should not carry out-of-pocket costs for patients.
Senator Hayden opened the measure and Senator Patterson, chairing its presentation, said the bill is intended to reduce barriers to completing a diagnosis. Patterson cited cases brought to her attention by an obstetrician who had recently moved to Salem, describing patients who presented with advanced disease because follow-up diagnostics were delayed or unaffordable. "If you're a woman who's had an abnormal pap test, it could cost you between $700 and $1,000, even more sometimes, out of pocket for the follow-up test to determine if you have cancer," Patterson said.
Senator Robinson said she would vote for the bill while expressing broader frustration with piecemeal legislative mandates in health care funding and delivery. Supporters said SB 1527 passed the Health Care Committee unanimously and was designed to remove financial barriers to early detection and treatment. The Senate recorded the vote and declared SB 1527 passed with a constitutional majority.
Sponsors described the bill as a preventive measure intended to save lives by ensuring diagnostic follow-up is affordable and accessible.
