SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 791

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 9, 2022

     The Senate Commerce Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 791.

     As amended, this bill requires health, hospital, and medical service corporations, health maintenance organizations, and commercial group health insurers to provide coverage for an annual prostate cancer screening without cost sharing for men who are between 40 and 75 years of age.  Under current law, these health insurance carriers are required only to provide coverage for an annual medically recognized diagnostic examination including, but not limited to, a digital rectal examination and a prostate-specific antigen test for men age 50 and over who are asymptomatic and for men age 40 and over with a family history of  prostate cancer or other prostate cancer risk factors.  The bill expands the definition of “prostate cancer screening” to mean medically viable methods for the detection and diagnosis of prostate cancer, which includes a digital rectal exam and the prostate-specific antigen test and associated laboratory work.  “Prostate cancer screening” shall also include subsequent follow up testing as direct by a physician, including, but not limited to:

     (1)   urinary analysis;

     (2)   serum biomarkers;

     (3)   medical imaging, including, but not limited to, magnetic resonance imaging.

     The bill also extends the prostate cancer screening requirements to commercial individual health insurers, health benefits plans issued pursuant to the New Jersey Individual Health Coverage and Small Employer Health Benefits Programs, the State Health Benefits Program, and the School Employees’ Health Benefits Program, which are not required to provide this coverage under current law.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS

      The committee amended the bill to prohibit cost sharing only for men 40 to 75 years of age.