Hair loss during chemo gets insurance coverage in West Virginia

West Virginia now requires health insurers to cover scalp cooling systems for people getting chemotherapy. The devices cool the scalp during treatment and can help prevent or reduce hair loss, though patients may still owe standard deductibles and copays.

The coverage would apply to policies, plans and contracts issued or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2027. Insurers could still apply deductibles, coinsurance and copayments that match the rest of the policy.

What the benefit would do

The proposal is narrow, but for patients it reaches a deeply personal part of cancer care. It would not change the chemotherapy itself. It would change whether keeping some hair through treatment is something only some people can afford.

Scalp cooling systems are designed to lower the temperature at the scalp during chemotherapy, which can reduce hair loss for some patients. The bill would make that option part of covered care instead of an added expense patients have to sort out on their own.