What's happening
This bill requires health insurance policies to fully cover annual ovarian cancer testing for high-risk individuals and mandates providers to offer testing and education.
Why it matters
Eliminates financial barriers for high-risk individuals. By mandating insurers to cover the full cost of annual ovarian cancer testing—including FDA-approved tests and ultrasounds—without deductibles or coinsurance, the bill ensures that cost does not prevent early detection for those at greatest risk.
Standardizes proactive care and education. The legislation requires primary care providers to assess ovarian cancer risk, offer testing when appropriate, and provide educational materials, promoting consistent and informed preventive care across the state.
Broadens access regardless of symptoms. Testing and coverage are required even if a patient does not have presenting symptoms, shifting the focus from reactive to proactive healthcare, which could lead to earlier diagnoses and better outcomes.
Addresses health equity. By requiring information and services to be delivered in culturally and linguistically appropriate ways, the bill aims to reduce disparities in ovarian cancer awareness and detection among diverse populations.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Cover Ovarian Cancer Screenings
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
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.
Cover Annual Ovarian Cancer Tests
In Assembly Committee · Insurance · Sponsor Pamela J. Hunter
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1282
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 9, 2025
Introduced by Sens. PERSAUD, HOYLMAN-SIGAL, PALUMBO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Insurance
AN ACT to amend the insurance law, the social services law and the public health law, in relation to requiring health insurance policies to fully cover testing for ovarian cancer and requiring certain health care providers to offer annual testing for ovarian cancer
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subsection (i) of section 3216 of the insurance law is amended by adding a new paragraph 11-d to read as follows:
(11-d) (A) Every policy that provides coverage for hospital, surgical or medical care shall offer full coverage for annual testing to patients that are at high-risk of developing ovarian cancer including, but not limited to, FDA-approved testing, transvaginal ultrasound, pelvic exam, and other exams regardless if presenting signs and symptoms.
(B) Such additional coverage shall not be subject to annual deductibles and coinsurance but shall be borne solely by the insurer.
§ 2. Subsection (l) of section 3221 of the insurance law is amended by adding a new paragraph 11-d to read as follows:
(11-d) (A) Every insurer delivering a group or blanket policy or issuing a group or blanket policy for delivery in this state that provides coverage for hospital, surgical or medical care shall offer full coverage for annual testing for individuals at high-risk of developing ovarian cancer including, but not limited to, FDA-approved testing, transvaginal ultrasound, pelvic exam and other exams available to those at high-risk of developing ovarian cancer regardless if presenting signs and symptoms.
(B) Such additional coverage shall not be subject to annual deductibles and coinsurance but shall be borne solely by the insurer.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01785-01-5
§ 3. Section 4303 of the insurance law is amended by adding a new subsection (p-2) to read as follows:
(p-2) (1) A medical expense indemnity corporation, a hospital service corporation or a health service corporation that provides coverage for hospital, surgical or medical care shall offer full coverage for annual testing for individuals at high-risk of developing ovarian cancer including, but not limited to, FDA-approved testing, transvaginal ultrasound, pelvic exam and other exams for individuals at high-risk of developing ovarian cancer regardless if presenting signs or symptoms.
(2) Such additional coverage shall not be subject to annual deductibles and coinsurance but shall be borne solely by the insurer.
§ 4. Subdivision 2 of section 365-a of the social services law is amended by adding a new paragraph (nn) to read as follows:
(nn) annual ovarian cancer testing including, but not limited to, FDA-approved testing, pelvic exam, transvaginal ultrasound and other exams available to those at risk or high-risk for cancer regardless if presenting signs and symptoms.
§ 5. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2405-a to read as follows:
§ 2405-a. Required offering of ovarian cancer testing. 1. Health care providers such as a physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or midwife providing primary care shall ask specific questions to determine if there are any signs or symptoms that may indicate ovarian cancer. Once signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer have been detected, or a provider is suspicious the patient has ovarian cancer, ovarian cancer "testing" may then be performed, which could encompass a pelvic exam, FDA-approved testing, transvaginal ultrasound, and other exams for ovarian cancer. Additionally, providers shall avail patients with ovarian cancer education, including, but not limited to, information on the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer and providing the patient with a copy of the informational pamphlet developed and supplied by the department, unless the health care practitioner providing such services reasonably believes that: (a) the individual is being treated for a life threatening emergency; or (b) the individual lacks capacity to consent to ovarian cancer testing.
2. As used in this section, "primary care" means the medical fields of family medicine, general pediatrics, primary care, internal medicine, primary care obstetrics, or primary care gynecology, without regard to board certification.
3. The offering of ovarian cancer testing under this section shall be culturally and linguistically appropriate in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the commissioner.
4. The department shall develop informational pamphlets on ovarian cancer and supply such pamphlets to health service providers.
5. This section shall not affect the scope of practice of any health care practitioner or diminish any authority or legal or professional obligation of any health care practitioner to offer ovarian cancer testing or to provide services or care for the subject of ovarian cancer testing.
§ 6. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law and shall apply to policies issued, reissued, renewed, modified or amended on or after such date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the insurance law, the social services law and the public health law, in relation to requiring health insurance policies to fully cover testing for ovarian cancer and requiring certain health care providers to offer annual testing for ovarian cancer
Purpose or general idea of bill
Requires health insurance policies to fully cover testing for ovarian cancer and requires certain healthcare providers to offer annual testing for ovarian cancer
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1. Every policy that provides coverage for hospital, surgical or medical care shall offer full coverage for annual testing to patients that are at high-risk of developing ovarian cancer including, but not limited to, FDA-approved testing, transvaginal ultrasound, pelvic exam, and other exams regardless if presenting signs and symptoms
Read the full memo (664 words)
Section 2. Applies the same provisions to every insurer delivering a group or blanket policy or issuing a group or blanket policy for deliv- ery in this state that provides coverage for hospital, surgical or medical care.
Section 3. Applies these same provisions to a medical expense indemnity corporation, a hospital service corporation, or a health service corpo- ration that provides coverage for hospital, surgical, or medical care.
Section 4. Annual ovarian cancer testing including, but not limited to, FDA testing, pelvic exam, transvaginal ultrasound, and other exams to be made readily available to those at risk or high-risk for cancer regard- less if presenting signs and symptoms.
Section 5. Required offering of ovarian cancer testing. Ovarian cancer literacy pamphlet to be provided to a patient. Section 6. Provides for the effective date.
Justification
Typically, the general cancer antigen 125 test (CA125) misses more than half of all cancer cases once a mass is found and primarily detects only when it is late stage, in most cases too late. CA125 misses between 37-67% of ovarian cancer cases in Black women. Black women have a much higher 5-year ovarian cancer mortality rate of 62 percent. As with other cancers, it is best to diagnose the disease in its early stages to best treat the cancer and defeat the disease. Ovarian Cancer is more likely to be missed or miss diagnosed due to symptoms that overlap with more benign conditions such as endometriosis or due to diagnostic tests that were not created for this cause being used.
Allowing and mandating screening for ovarian cancer yearly is necessary to curtail the number of deaths that occur each year from ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is a disease that mostly affects older women, especially after menopause. As of 2022, an annual gynecological exam does not test for ovarian cancer but covers cervical and other cancers. The American Cancer Society states that in 2022, about 20,000 women will receive a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer and about 13,000 women will die from ovarian cancer. The ACS finds that if a woman has a family member who has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer; they are now 25 percent more likely to get the disease; as the likelihood of having ovarian cancer increases because of certain genes in one's DNA that are passed on to offspring. Screening tests and educating patients about ovarian cancer will serve as great preventive measures to reduce ovarian cancer-related deaths. In addition to the screening tests, educating patients through pamphlets about ovarian cancer is another great preven- tative measure. The more educated the patient is, the more likely they are to notice if something is wrong or has changed in their body, and it will prompt them to visit their medical provider. This also helps patients who previously had cancer or are more prone to getting it.
Prior legislative history
2023-2024: S1187 referred to Insurance
2022: S8178 referred to Insurance
Fiscal implications
None
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law and shall apply to policies issued, reissued, renewed, modified or amended on or after such date.
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