Connecticut House Votes to Improve Access to Biomarker Testing
Leading public health group urges Senate and Gov. Lamont to follow suit in ensuring biomarker testing can benefit more Connecticut patients
Senate & House Vote Unanimously to Increase Access to Biomarker Testing
Expanding access to this form of precision medicine will help more people in Connecticut get the right treatment at the right time
May 21, 2025
HARTFORD – May 21, 2025 – Earlier today, the Connecticut Senate voted in unanimous support of legislation that would ensure biomarker testing is covered by state regulated insurance plans, including Medicaid, when supported by scientific and medical evidence. This vote comes on the heels of a 147-0 House vote earlier this month.
Progress in improving cancer outcomes increasingly involves the use of precision medicine, which uses information about a person’s own genes or proteins to prevent, diagnose or treat diseases like cancer. The goal of the legislation is to ensure more Connecticut patients have access to this game changing form of precision medicine. Last year, the legislature acted to ensure such access for Medicaid enrollees, but private insurance companies were not included.
The following is a statement from Bryte Johnson, government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) in Connecticut:
“We are thrilled to see back-to-back unanimous votes from the Senate and House in support of increased access to biomarker testing. Expanding access to this form of precision medicine will help more people in Connecticut get the right treatment at the right time and avoid therapies that are unnecessary or ineffective for their condition – not only for cancer patients, but for a wide variety of serious diseases.
“We extend special thanks to special thanks to Aging Committee chairpersons Rep. Jane Garibay and Senator Jan Hochadel, as well as Senator Tony Hwang and Rep. Mitch Bolinski. We urge our Gov. Lamont to follow these uniramous votes and ensure access to biomarker testing for those who need it in our state.”
For more information on precision medicine, cancer biomarkers, current barriers to biomarker testing and ACS CAN’s policy recommendations, visit: www.fightcancer.org/biomarkers.
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