The biomarker bill has now won passage in both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly. The House bill garnered overwhelming support in the Senate Monday. The bill requires insurance coverage of biomarker technology used to develop specific treatment plans, often for cancer. Senate President Robert Stivers called it, quote, “one of the better bills we’ll do this session.”
“This past year I would assume or suggest that probably a third of my conversations with people in the healthcare industry are related to biomarkers,” said Stivers.
Benton Senator Danny Carroll told his colleagues biomarker testing can change the quality of life.
Louisville Senator Karen Berg said biomarker tests are extremely important and the future of medicine.
“We are making vitally important healthcare decisions, based on these results,” said Berg.
Berg said she underwent biomarker testing some 14 years ago when faced with breast cancer. She said the extremely expensive test was not covered by her insurance, so she had to pick up the cost herself. The bill now goes to Governor Beshear.
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