After a suspicious lung cancer screen, patients could face another obstacle: the bill for more tests. Sen. Rubio’s SB 1309 would require California health plans and insurance policies issued, amended or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2027, to cover follow-up scans, biopsies and related tests without copays, coinsurance or deductibles.
The bill builds on existing state law that already requires coverage for generally medically accepted cancer screening tests. This measure pushes that protection one step farther, into the follow-up stage where a patient may need a diagnosis before treatment can even begin.
What counts as the next step
SB 1309 defines follow-up screening or diagnostic services as care provided after an initial abnormal or indeterminate test result. That can include a diagnostic CT scan, PET/CT scan, tissue sampling, biopsy, bronchoscopy, pathology or a surgical consultation.
The point is to keep the workup from stalling because of cost. A flagged screening result is not the end of the story, and the bill treats the testing that follows as part of the same medical path.
Where the bill draws the line
The proposal would bar copays, coinsurance, deductibles and any other form of cost sharing for that coverage. It would apply to health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies, not just one narrow slice of coverage.
High-deductible health plans would get a narrow exception if zero cost sharing would conflict with federal requirements for those plans. Available vote records show the bill advanced without recorded no votes.
Sources
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