Earlier today, the Pennsylvania State Senate unanimously passed House Bill 1754, the bipartisan proposal to increase access to biomarker testing. The bill will now go to Governor Shapiro’s desk, providing him the opportunity to ensure coverage of this essential testing for more Pennsylvanians. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) and the PA Biomarker Testing Coalition are advocating for this significant policy change to ensure more cancer patients and people with other illnesses and diseases can get the testing needed to access precision medicine.
Biomarker testing has become a game-changing part of cancer care given its role in opening the door to targeted treatments that can lead to improved survivorship and quality of life. Despite the proven benefits, some insurers are failing to keep pace with innovations and advancements in biomarker testing. This results in some patients being forced to decide whether to pay out-of-pocket or go without the testing that may connect them with lifesaving treatment or help them avoid unnecessary or ineffective treatments.
Medical providers and patient advocates from across the state have affirmed their support for the legislation, including 39-year-old Dan Wilson. In Wilson’s battle with lung cancer, biomarker testing directly guided his doctors at the Sydney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Jefferson to start him on radiation treatment and then switch to a targeted oral therapy. Two years after starting therapy, Wilson’s scans continue to be stable, indicating his disease has not progressed.
“Without biomarker testing, I don’t know where I’d be or whether my wife and two kids would still have me in their lives. Every patient deserves the opportunity that I was given to better understand their disease and how to treat it most effectively. I am glad to see that so many state lawmakers agree,” said Wilson.
Dr. Jennifer Johnson, oncologist at Sydney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, said, “Biomarker testing affords oncologists like me with a level of clarity into our patients’ disease that changes how we practice—for the better. It allows us to be precise and targeted in our approach to care. It is past due that every patient who can benefit from biomarker testing has access to it.”
Fortunately for Wilson, neither insurance nor geography were a barrier to his care. Having received his care at Jefferson, he did have to contend with the roadblocks that many rural communities do. Pennsylvanians who do not live in proximity to academic health centers as well as many people of color and individuals with lower incomes are being left behind from advances in precision treatments. House Bill 1754 aims to address these gaps in access to biomarker testing.
The proposed legislation would not just benefit cancer patients; biomarker testing is increasingly important in the treatment of other diseases, including arthritis, other autoimmune conditions and rare diseases.
Representative Kyle Mullins and Minority Leader Bryan Cutler were the sponsors of House Bill 1754. A major motivation for their championing of this legislation came from their respective experiences of losing family members who could have benefited from biomarker testing. Rep. Mullins recently lost his father to ALS and Leader Cutler lost both of his parents to the disease.
“Biomarker testing has the potential to be a transformative new tool in the fight against ALS,” said Alex Meixner, Managing Director of Advocacy for the ALS Association. “Ongoing research into ALS-related biomarkers suggest that a test for diagnosing ALS could be just around the corner. Diagnosing ALS with a simple biomarker-based test instead of the current months-long process of elimination would mean that patients could start life-extending and life-improving therapies sooner and would grow the pool of early-stage ALS patients available to participate in clinical trials.”
Donna Greco, Government Relations Director for ACS CAN in Pennsylvania, concluded, “ACS CAN thanks Representative Mullins and Minority Leader Cutler as well as Senators Robinson and Boscola for their leadership on this biomarker testing legislation. Together with the other members of the PA Biomarker Testing Coalition, we ask Governor Shapiro to sign this bill into law as soon as possible, so it can bring the hope and promise of precision medicine to patients across our state. It’s time for us to make the future of modern medicine accessible to more Pennsylvanians.”
If Governor Shapiro supports the legislation and expands access to biomarker testing, Pennsylvania would become the 20th state to enact comprehensive biomarker testing legislation. For more information on precision medicine, cancer biomarkers, current barriers to biomarker testing, and ACS CAN’s policy recommendations, visit www.fightcancer.org/biomarkers.
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About ACS CAN
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) advocates for evidence-based public policies to reduce the cancer burden for everyone. As the American Cancer Society’s nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN is making cancer a top priority for public officials and candidates at the federal, state, and local levels. By engaging advocates across the country to make their voices heard, ACS CAN influences legislative and regulatory solutions that will end cancer as we know it.
