New York is on the verge of enacting important legislation that would significantly help the practice of urology. A1673A seen here seeks to require health insurance policies and Medicaid to cover biomarker testing. This bill has passed both the House and Senate and is now on Governor Hochul’s desk awaiting signature.
According to the National Cancer Institute, “biomarker testing is a way to look for genes, proteins, and other substances (called biomarkers or tumor markers) that can provide information about cancer. Each person’s cancer has a unique pattern of biomarkers. Some biomarkers affect how certain cancer treatments work.”
As we move more into precision medicine and look for other ways to improve outcomes and lower costs, biomarker testing will become a key tool to use to target protocols and most importantly save patients lives.
AACU strongly encourages the Governor to sign this important legislation so that it can potentially serve as a national model. If enacted, New York would join a growing number of states that understand the importance of biomarker testing.