Pennsylvania lawmakers vote to expand access to biomarker testing

Pennsylvania Capitol Building on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. (Photo by Amanda Berg, for the Capital-Star).

The Pennsylvania Senate voted unanimously on Tuesday to pass a bill requiring state-regulated health insurance plans, like Medicaid, to cover biomarker testing that can improve outcomes for diseases like cancer, ALS and certain autoimmune disorders.

Having already passed the House, the bill will go to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk.

“This personalized, life-saving treatment is a critical tool that can greatly benefit all Pennsylvanians,” said Devlin Robinson (R-Allegheny). “It means better quality of life, it means more family time, more celebrations, more opportunities to pursue your goals and dreams.”

Robinson sponsored the Senate version of the bill. The bill that ultimately passed was a similar version introduced in the House by Rep. Kyle Mullins (D-Lackawanna).

Passage was near unanimous. Only one lawmaker in either chamber, Rep. Tim O’Neal (R-Washington), voted against it.

Biomarker testing is used to examine the individual traits and causes of a patient’s disease, and can be used to help doctors create more precise and personalized treatment plans. As it stands, some insurances refuse to cover it for certain diseases.

“​​ Biomarker testing has become a game-changing part of cancer care given its role in opening the door to targeted treatments,” said Casey O’Neil, a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. “The proposed legislation would not just benefit cancer patients; biomarker testing is increasingly important in the treatment of other diseases, including arthritis, other autoimmune conditions and rare diseases.”

If Shapiro signs the bill, Pennsylvania will become the 20th state to mandate insurance coverage of biomarker testing for a host of diseases.

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