Maine House Democrats: House Advances Bipartisan Zager Bill to Require Health Insurance Coverage for Biomarker Testing

AUGUSTA, Maine, April 13 -- The Maine House Democrats issued the following news release on April 11, 2024:

The Maine House voted Tuesday to pass legislation sponsored by Rep. Sam Zager, D-Portland, that would require health insurance coverage for biomarker testing.

Biomarker testing is the analysis of a patient's tissue, blood or other biological specimen for an indicator of a normal or abnormal process or pharmacologic response such as how well a person might respond to a particular treatment for cancer or other serious illness. LD 1577 would require insurance coverage for biomarker testing, including coverage under MaineCare, for the purposes of diagnosis, treatment, appropriate management or ongoing monitoring of a disease or condition.

"Mainers who are facing a difficult health situation deserve to have the most effective and least harmful treatment for their specific version of a disease," said Zager, who is a practicing family physician. "Passing this biomarker bill would help make this care accessible and put us one step closer to a more fair, sustainable system of healthcare."

This bill would also help reduce health disparities, as biotechnology rapidly advances.

"Patients who are older, Black, uninsured or Medicaid-insured, live in rural communities, and those who get their care in a community setting versus academic medical centers, are less likely to be tested for certain guideline-indicated biomarkers," said Danielle Adams, managing director of advocacy for the New England chapter of the ALS Association, during the public hearing. "Without action, lack of access to biomarker testing could increase existing disparities in health outcomes by race, ethnicity, income, and geography."

The bill faces further votes in the House and Senate in the coming days.

Zager, a member of the Health and Human Services Committee, is serving his second term in the Maine House and represents part of Portland.

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Original text here: https://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=HouseDems+News&id=12623844&v=article2019