HARRISBURG, PA – June 26, 2024 – Senator Lisa M. Boscola (D-Northampton) welcomed the unanimous passage of House Bill 1754 out of the Pennsylvania Senate yesterday. The bill, based on legislation co-sponsored by Boscola and Senator Devlin Robinson (R-Allegheny), requires health insurance policies and government programs such as Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to provide coverage of biomarker testing.
“Biomarker testing has been nothing short of a miracle for families facing a diagnosis of cancer or other serious illness,” Boscola said. “Sadly, access to testing has been limited by an all-too-common barrier: cost. This legislation will change that.”
Biomarker testing analyzes the DNA of a patient to inform the treatment of certain illnesses such as cancer. Research has found that the use of biomarker testing significantly improves treatment outcomes in patients.
“By requiring insurance companies to cover the cost of this testing, this bill will open doors to precision medicine that otherwise would have remained locked to thousands of ailing Pennsylvanians,” Boscola noted. “I thank Senator Robinson and our House colleagues for their leadership and hard work on this issue.”
House Bill 1754 passed 50-0 and now heads to the Governor to be signed into law.
###