KENTUCKY — The 2023 legislative session in Kentucky is in full swing. Earlier this month, State Rep. Kim Moser (R-Taylor Mill) filed House Bill 180, which is being called the “Biomarker” testing bill.

According to Rep. Moore and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the legislation will improve access to care for cancer patients by expanding coverage for biomarker testing.

“In a sentence really, it will allow for cutting edge treatment for cancer patients and precision medicine for other chronic diseases across the Commonwealth in specialized testing and it ensures that patients receive the right care at the right time. As far as why I am interested in carrying this. You know the problem in Kentucky is that families across the Commonwealth have been affected by devastating cancer diagnoses, especially lung cancer at a higher rate than any other state in the nation. Testing for certain genetic markers or biomarkers is covered at a very low rate in Kentucky and we know that despite this being the standard of care for a cancer diagnosis. We really need to get better coverage for one. We again it is a national standard for the treatment of cancer and we know that it improves outcomes,” explains Moser.

The National Cancer Institute reports that biomarker testing is a way to look for genes, proteins and other substances (called biomarkers or tumor markers) that can provide information about cancer. Each person’s cancer has a unique pattern of biomarkers.