On February 3, the Georgia Association of Pathologists (GAP), in collaboration with the CAP, communicated its support for Georgia House Bill 85, legislation to mandate Medicaid and private insurance coverage of biomarker testing. Similarly, in Washington State, the Washington State Society of Pathologists (WSSP) testified in favor of legislation that would provide mandated coverage for biomarker testing. The CAP supports state pathology societies and partners with them to influence public policy.

The legislation is consistent with the new CAP public policy that supports mandated coverage for biomarker testing and the waiver of prior authorization for such testing. In addition, support for the Georgia bill came from a broad coalition of medical groups, including the Georgia Hospital Association, and patient advocacy groups led by the American Cancer Society (ACS).

The GAP affirmed, “Pathologists, as leaders in clinical laboratory medicine, routinely supervise, conduct, and recommend biomarker testing to diagnose cancer., and other diseases, and to inform optimal treatment and improve health outcomes for patients.

“The GAP and the CAP believe biomarker test coverage should be mandated when such testing is medically necessary for clinically relevant diagnostic purposes, and/or treatment, supported by medical and scientific evidence as delineated in the bill,” the GAP further stated.

In Washington State, the WSSP testified in favor of House Bill 1450, legislation that would provide mandated coverage for biomarker testing to be covered by the state health insurance plan or state-regulated health plans.

Previously, on January 31, WSSP President Erik Konnick, MD, MS, FCAP, virtually testified in favor of the bill before the House Health Care and Wellness Committee.

The WSSP subsequently submitted written comments in support of House Bill 1450, stating: “…biomarkers are assessed as part of the standard of care for many cancers, and the results of these biomarker tests are used to more precisely classify tumors, select effective treatments, and assess risk for other conditions. While biomarker assessment is the standard of care for many cancers, not all insurance plans reimburse for these tests, resulting in wide disparities between patients with different insurance plans.”

The Washington state bill was subsequently amended to be limited to stages 1, 2, 3, 4 cancer cases or in cases of brain cancer.