The Cancer Support Community supports H.R. 1526 / S. 765, the Reducing Hereditary Cancer Act to create a new coverage pathway for people on Medicare with a known genetic mutation in the family to access medical guideline recommended cancer screenings and risk-reducing surgeries, when necessary and appropriate. This legislation is important to closing testing, screening, and risk-reducing intervention gaps for Medicare beneficiaries.
Currently, according to Medicare guidelines, only people already diagnosed with cancer are eligible for genetic testing. When a person is aware of an inherited mutation that increases their risk of cancer, they should be able to access high-risk cancer screenings which can lead to earlier detection and treatment. Medicare also is currently not permitted to cover risk-reducing interventions contributing to health disparities.
