Last week, New York State assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow introduced the descriptively named “act to amend the insurance law, in relation to requiring coverage for genetic testing in accident and health insurance polices.”
While not accompanied by a press release, or widely covered by media outlets, the bill merits close attention. While the substance of the bill is striking, its greater import lies in what it reveals about the United States’ current framework for personalized medicine regulation and in what the bill portends for the future of personalized medicine innovation and investment in this country.
The Basics and Breadth of the Pretlow Proposal. Despite its broadly worded title, New York bill #A02325 has a specific goal: to require insurance companies to “provide coverage for genetic testing” for any individual who, “in the opinion of an attending physician, [is at] significant risk of contracting cancer.”
Though not discussed in the text of the bill of itself, the bill’s accompanying memorandum clarifies an intent to specifically require insurance companies to reimburse the cost of genetic tests for individuals deemed to be at significant risk of developing breast cancer (more on this below). With the new legislation, at risk patients “will be able to seek genetic screening and counseling that will be paid for by insurance.”
Whether the bill would require coverage for genetic tests aimed at any type of cancer (as the bill’s text implies), or only for breast cancer (as the explanatory memorandum indicates), its scope is significant. In addition to requiring insurance companies to provide coverage for these genetic tests, it would also require insurers to cover “any subsequent treatment resulting from the results of such test” (emphasis added).
Remember: It’s Only a Bill. Before we go any further, it is important to clarify that this is an introductory legislative proposal. Assemblyman Pretlow has attempted, unsuccessfully, to introduce similar insurance mandates in the past and his current attempt has only been read once and referred to the assembly’s Committee on Insurance. It is not the law of the State of New York. It is not even up for a vote.
Whatever the factors that prompted the bill’s introduction, it would seem to stand little chance of passing in its current form. A primary substantive objection is the exceedingly vague scope of the bill as presently drafted. Assemblyman Pretlow’s proposal does not specify the nature of the genetic tests for which insurance coverage would be required. For example, would it cover multiplex or whole-genome sequencing to identify all identified genetic markers of cancer susceptibility, or only more narrowly tailored susceptibility tests (e.g., Myriad Genetics’ BRACAnalysis)? Similarly, the bill fails to circumscribe the extent of “subsequent treatments” which must be covered by insurers. Would coverage extend to genetic counseling and/or other preventative measures, such as an elective mastectomy in the case of breast cancer, or would it be broad enough to encompass subsequent (and far more costly) therapeutic treatments in the event a cancer materializes?
These and other questions demand
