by Julie Martin Banks
Biomarker testing helps physicians better identify the illnesses affecting patients, and now more people will benefit from this particular advancement in medicine thanks to a new law passed by state legislators and signed by Gov. Ned Lamont.
The new law – Senate Bill 307, An Act Concerning Medicaid Coverage of Biomarker Testing – will help provide biomarker testing to people with Medicaid insurance plans, according to representatives from the American Cancer Society-Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN).
Bryte Johnson, ACS CAN’s Government Relations Director in Connecticut, said biomarker testing will benefit oncology patients, as well as those suffering from Alzheimer’s, Parkinsons, lupus, epilepsy, and preeclampsia.
“Personalized medicine has become the standard practice with patients with serious diseases,” Johnson said, adding that now even more people will get access to testing that assists them in getting the treatment that is going to better match them.
Johnson said that biomarker testing is a gateway to many individual therapies that can help connect patients with more precise treatments with fewer side effects and longer life expectancies. Another benefit is lower healthcare costs as patients won’t waste time on ineffective care, Johnson said.
Johnson said there was a coalition of around 50 organizations who supported this initiative.
“This entire process has been a very positive one. We didn’t receive a single no vote in any step in the legislative process,” Johnson said. This legislation has passed in 16 other states now.
Ginny Hanbridge, Executive Director of the Connecticut Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, told the Human Services legislative committee, that access to an early and accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s can have a great impact for the 80,000 people in the state living with the disease or other dementia.
“I have heard from countless families and those who are living in the early stage of the disease about how hard it was to receive an accurate diagnosis and that it can be a grueling experience,” according to her testimony in March. “This is largely because the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease relies largely on documenting cognitive decline, at which point, Alzheimer’s has already caused severe brain damage.”
Screengrab from an advocacy video illustration produced by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). Credit: Screengrab / American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN)
Next legislative session, Johnson said the ACS CAN will be back so they can work with legislators to extend the same benefit to those covered by private health insurance plans.
“It remains a priority of my organization,” Johnson said. “There is widespread support as we educate more lawmakers, educate the public, and educate more folks that can benefit from biomarker testing.”