Governor signs law requiring insurers to cover all lung cancer screening services
New York state recently finalized legislation requiring health insurers to cover all lung cancer screening services with no patient cost-sharing, drawing praise from radiologists.
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) formally signed S2000A/A1195A into law on Dec. 4, with it set to take effect in 2027. The bill requires payers to provide coverage for any follow-up screening or diagnostic services after an abnormal initial low-dose CT scan, while also prohibiting out-of-pocket charges.
Such cost-sharing requirements—including co-pays, deductibles and co-insurance—have been shown to prevent patients from completing the screening process, according to the American Cancer Society. This can make it harder to detect lung disease when its most treatable.
The New York Radiological Society said it “strongly supported this measure,” calling it an “important step forward in saving lives through earlier detection.”
“Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths and disproportionately impacts Black and Latino New Yorkers,” NYRS said in a Dec. 5 announcement following the bill’s signing. “By removing financial barriers, this law will help ensure timely access to critical screenings that can identify cancer at earlier, more treatable stages and significantly improve survival rates.
The American Cancer Society highlighted recently published data showing only about 1 in 5 eligible adults nationwide receive recommended lung cancer screenings. In New York, just 22% of high-risk adults have been screened and, “more troubling still,” about 70% of lung cancers in the Empire State are diagnosed at an advanced stage.
Every year, almost 13,000 New Yorkers are diagnosed with lung cancer, ACS estimated, and the state’s five-year survival rate remains low at 35%. One analysis showed that increasing the screening rate by 25% could reduce late-stage diagnoses, saving the state approximately $113 million per year, including $75 million in Medicaid costs.
“By signing this bill, New York has taken a historic step toward saving lives from lung cancer,” Michael Davoli, senior government relations director for the ACS Cancer Action Network in New York, said in a statement Dec. 4. “For too long, cost barriers have kept high-risk New Yorkers from getting fully screened, and the consequences have been deadly. This law changes that reality.”
State Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. and Assemblymember Crystal Peoples-Stokes championed the bill at the New York statehouse and celebrated its finalization last week.
“By Gov. Hochul signing this bill … we strengthen our commitment to early detection, one of the most effective tools we have against lung cancer, while also ensuring no one is forced to choose between their financial security and their well-being,” Addabbo said in an announcement from the governor’s office.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.