The New York legislature and the state’s Governor, Kathy Hochul, gave New Yorkers a long-awaited holiday present in December, as Hochul signed into law a measure designed to provide broad access to biomarker testing and precision medicine. The bipartisan policies require New York State-regulated health plans to cover biomarker testing, thereby enabling more targeted and efficacious treatments for cancer and other major health conditions, particularly for those in greatest financial need.
The move comes as health equity advocates have been increasingly shining a spotlight on the failure of insurance companies to cover biomarker testing and precision medicine and, in so doing, forcing individuals to choose whether to pay out-of-pocket for the testing or to go without it. Individuals comprising historically marginalized populations, including minorities, patients with lower incomes, and those residing in rural regions, traditionally have lacked access to biomarker testing.
The passage of New York’s Senate Bill 1196 and Assembly Bill 1673, therefore, could not have come soon enough for health equity advocates. With biomarker testing, cancer care has evolved to more patient-specific, personalized treatment, resulting in higher levels of survivorship and an overall enhancement in life quality for those patients.
The New York policies codified by this legislation are also being viewed as a model for other states to pass similar bills. New York became the fourteenth state to codify biomarker test regulations, which many believe will help spark similar moves in other U.S. regions to implement policies that foster greater levels of precision medicine. To the extent that’s the case, biomarker testing and precision medicine are anticipated to make key strides in improving cancer treatment and in “leveling the playing field” so that individuals across population segments can more equitably gain access to these health care enhancements in the months and years ahead.
