Ovarian cancer screening

A bill that would have required insurance companies to cover ovarian cancer screening for at-risk women stalled in health committees in both the House and Senate.
Rep. Karen Clark (DFL-Mpls), a survivor of ovarian cancer, sponsored the bill along with Sen. Linda Scheid (DFL-Brooklyn Park).
Current law requires insurance companies to cover routine screenings for most cancers. The bill would have gone one step further, requiring a specific type of screening for women who are "at risk" for ovarian cancer as defined in the bill.
Under the proposal, a woman would be considered at risk if she has a family history of one or more close relatives with the disease or of clusters of female relatives with breast cancer.
Some lawmakers feared that insurance companies would raise their rates in order to fund the additional screening charges. However, supporters emphasized the fact that treatment is not only more effective in earlier stages, but cheaper, as well.
HF3234/ SF3163

Other Insurance stories

Return to today's Session Daily