Lawmakers try again to change ‘reflection in the mirror’ for cancer patients

CHARLESTON — With less than two weeks remaining in the 2026 legislative session, a plan to provide hope and confidence to West Virginians undergoing cancer treatment is getting a second chance to cross the finish line.

Introduced by House of Delegates Banking and Insurance Committee Chair Walter Hall, R-Kanawha, House Bill 4089 — also known as the Jessica Huffman Bill — seeks to mandate health insurance coverage for scalp cooling systems. These devices are used during chemotherapy treatments.

What is scalp cooling?

As explained by the American Cancer Society, scalp cooling "reduces the amount of chemo that gets to your hair follicle cells." Protecting the hair follicles during chemotherapy treatment can often reduce or prevent the loss of scalp hair.

Appearing before the Senate Health and Human Resources Committee on Thursday was 38-year-old Jessica Huffman, a mother of six and registered nurse from Williamstown, who shared her personal cancer treatment experiences.

"Two years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer," Huffman said. "I had a double mastectomy. I went through a full round of chemotherapy and immune-targeted therapy, and I lost all of my hair. While being bald is socially acceptable for many men … but it was very difficult to me."

Through her work as a nurse, Huffman noted, she has cared for cancer patients. However, after becoming a cancer patient herself, Huffman said her eyes were opened to the challenges.

"I'm very rooted in science and research, and I learned a lot through my own process, and I learned a lot about scalp cooling treatment," Huffman added. "To simplify what it does, chemotherapy goes through your blood stream. When you're cold, your blood vessels constrict and get smaller, and when you're warmer they open up. When you apply the cold device to your head it constricts the blood vessels right there, and the chemotherapy doesn't get to that part of your hair follicles. It allows people to keep often more than half of their hair."

Scalp cooling systems have been FDA approved for solid tumors since 2017. However, their use is not recommended for all cancer patients.

According to the American Cancer Society, patients being treated for the following medical conditions should not use any type of scalp cooling system:

Cancer of the central nervous systemLeukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myelomaThose receiving chemotherapy to prepare for a bone marrow (stem cell) transplantCold-agglutinin disease, cryoglobulinemia, or post-traumatic cold dystrophyThose under the age of 18

How much does it cost?

"Many insurance companies currently cover wigs," Huffman said, noting that scalp cooling systems can cost a patient upwards of $3,000. "Many of the wigs are that much money. Instead of spending that money as a reaction, we could be proactive by preventing that hair loss altogether in a very safe way."

A fiscal note submitted by the West Virginia Department of Human Services shows that the implementation of HB 4089 will cost approximately $585,000. This would be due to increased costs associated with Medicaid funding, with West Virginia contributing $104,598 of the $598,000, and the federal government contributing $480,402. Both the West Virginia Insurance Commission, and the Public Employees Insurance Agency report the bill will have no financial impact on their departments.

Legislative support

On Friday, speaking about HB 4089, Hall said of Huffman, "I've been on this journey with her … and this has been a wonderful journey with her for two years."

Hall said he was drawn to Huffman's situation as his family had also been affected by cancer. He proposed the same bill during the 2025 legislative session in the form of House Bill 2906, co-sponsored by fellow Kanawha County Delegate Kayla Young, D-Kanawha. However, the session concluded before the bill completed the legislative process.

"But New York picked up on it, passed it, and became the first state to put this legislation into law last year," Hall said, adding that Louisiana has since joined New York as the second state to require insurance providers to cover scalp cooling.

Also expressing his support for HB 4089 was Senate Health and Human Resources Committee Chair Brian Helton, R-Fayette, who said, "This is so important to so many people when they're already going through a serious physical ailment like cancer, and they're going through the dreadful chemotherapy."

"It should just be a vital part of it that we preserve people's dignity, we help them keep their self-esteem and their sense of well-being," Helton noted. "Your sense of well-being is a big part of recovery."

The motivations behind HB 4089

"[Cancer] touched my sister, Debbie," Hall explained. "Debbie passed away in 2015."

Debbie Hall was one of the first women to receive a scholarship for track and field to Marshall University in 1975.

"She qualified for the Olympic trials in the 220-yard dash in 1975," Hall said. "She was an athlete, a competitor. The loss of hair, and the reflection in the mirror is what I remember most. It didn't change who she was, but it changed the perception of everyone else who looked at her. And by doing that, she lost a bit of hope and a touch of confidence, and you've got to have both."

"You've got to have the Lord, and you've got to have your family, but you need hope and you've got to have that confidence to battle this awful disease," Hall added. "That's what attracted me to this legislation. I think we're instilling hope. Changing the reflection in the mirror is what my goal is with this legislation."

What's next

HB 4089 was passed unanimously by the House of Delegates on Feb. 11 and has moved through the Senate's Health and Human Resources Committee. The bill is now before the Senate Finance Committee, where it must be considered before being voted on by the full senate body.

The 2026 legislative session concludes on March 14.