Health Insurance
Hair loss during chemo gets insurance coverage in West Virginia
The new law, also called Jessica Huffman’s Law, requires scalp cooling coverage on policies issued or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2027. Standard deductibles, copays and coinsurance can still apply.
West Virginia now requires insurers to cover scalp cooling systems for cancer chemotherapy when policies are issued or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2027. The devices cool the scalp during treatment and can help reduce hair loss. Patients may still owe normal deductibles and copays.
- Coverage would start with policies issued or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2027.
- Insurers could still charge normal deductibles, copays and coinsurance.
- Scalp cooling aims to reduce hair loss during chemotherapy.
- The bill is also known as the Jessica Huffman Bill.
- For people starting chemotherapy, hair loss can be one of the treatment’s most visible reminders
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.