A new bill will require Kentucky health insurers to cover biomarker testing for cancer.
House Bill 180 passed with bipartisan support and was signed by Governor Andy Beshear this week, going into effect Jan. 1.
Biomarker testing “is a way to look for genes, proteins, and other substances (called biomarkers or tumor markers) that can provide information about cancer, and give medical professionals more insight about what treatment would work best.
The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 10,000 Kentuckians will die from cancer this year and 30,000 will be diagnosed with the disease. Kentucky is one of the worst states in the nation for cancer mortality, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
