Congress Introduces PSA Screening for HIM Act

This week, Congress introduced the PSA Screening for HIM Act, which would require insurance companies to cover prostate cancer screenings for those at high risk for the disease without out-of-pocket costs. By removing cost barriers for individuals, more people at high risk can receive the necessary screenings to detect prostate cancer in its earliest stages, often before any symptoms of the disease are present.

Increased access to evidence-based prostate cancer screenings, like the PSA (prostate-specific antigen blood test) test can help to improve prostate cancer survival through early detection of disease for those at highest risk. Since 1993, the prostate cancer death rate has declined by half due to earlier detection through PSA testing and advances in treatment. Increased access to screenings would help to further reduce the death rate from prostate cancer by making screenings available to those who need them most.

In 2023, an estimated 288,300 people will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in the U.S. and approximately 34,700 people will die from the disease. Prostate cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in American men, second only to lung cancer. Black men in the U.S. have some of the highest documented rates of prostate cancer and are more than twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than white men. Passing this bill would remove a significant barrier that currently prevents many individuals at high risk for prostate cancer, including those in the Black community, from getting screened.

 Cancer screenings save lives, however, they are only effective if the people who need them can get them. For many, the cost of cancer screenings prevents them from detecting cancer at its earliest, most treatable stages. Passage of the PSA for HIM Act would lead to increased screening and improved outcomes for those with the disease.

Take action today and sign this petition urging Congress to pass the PSA Screening for HIM Act.