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History
- Referred to insurance
- Referred to insurance
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Requires health insurance contracts and policies to include coverage for ovarian/primary peritoneal cancer screening
In Assembly Committee · Insurance · Sponsor Joseph Morelle
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the insurance law, in relation to providing for health insurance coverage for diagnostic screening for ovarian/primary peritoneal cancer
Purpose
To require health insurance contracts and policies to include coverage for ovarian/primary peritoneal cancer screening.
Summary of provisions
The Insurance Law is amended as follows: (A) Every policy delivered or issued for delivery in this state which provides medical coverage that includes coverage for physician service in a physician's office and every policy which provides major medical or similar comprehensive-type coverage shall provide, upon the prescription of a health care provider legally authorized to prescribe under title eight of the education law, the following coverage for diagnostic screening for ovarian/primary peritoneal cancer: (i) an annual standard diagnostic exam including, but not limited to, a pelvic examination and a CA 125 blood test for women age twenty and over. (B) Such coverage may be subject to annual deductibles and coinsurance as may be deemed appropriate by the superintendent and as are consistent with those established for other benefits within a given policy.
Justification
Cancer antigen-125 (CA-125) is a protein that is found at levels in most ovarian cancer cells that are elevated compared to normal cells. CA-125 is produced on the surface of cells and is released into the bloodstream. The CA-125 test assesses the concentration of CA-125 in the blood. The test requires a sample of the patient's blood to be drawn. The test is equivalent to a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test which is covered for men under the insurance law.
Screening for ovarian/primary peritoneal cancer every year can alert women early and that is the goal in diagnosing any type of cancer, catching it early. At least one in fifty-five women are diagnosed with this very aggressive type of cancer. Though the median age for this type of cancer is 56, women as young as 22 have been diagnosed with it. Age is no factor.
It has been shown time and time again, and has become an accepted fact that early detection of cancer, as with almost any other disease, is the most important step in our ability to effectively treat illness. Those people found to have cancer in the earliest stages have the highest chances for a complete recovery.
Legislative history
S.3301, 2007-08; S.3621, 2005-06.
Fiscal implications
None to state.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.