Katherine’s Law for Lung Cancer Early Detection and Survival Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.3749 | Sponsor: Rep. Boyle, Brendan F. (D-PA)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Katherine's Law for Lung Cancer Early Detection and Survival Act of 2021
This bill requires private health insurance plans to cover, without cost sharing, screenings for the detection of lung cancer for certain high-risk individuals.

To amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act to expand the 
    availability of coverage for lung cancer screenings without the 
                      imposition of cost sharing.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Katherine's Law for Lung Cancer 
Early Detection and Survival Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Lung cancer is the number 1 killer of all cancers.
            (2) Lung cancer causes more deaths than prostate cancer, 
        breast cancer, and colorectal cancer combined.
            (3) The reason for the extremely low 5-year survival rate 
        in lung cancer patients is the difficulty to find it at early 
        stages (as patients have no symptoms at early stages).
            (4) For all stages of lung cancer, the overall 5-year 
        survival rate is 19 percent, while such rate is 98 percent for 
        prostate cancer and 90 percent for breast cancer (all stages).
            (5) Early detection of lung cancer through screening could 
        dramatically increase survival rates for patients.

SEC. 3. EXPANDING THE AVAILABILITY OF COVERAGE FOR LUNG CANCER 
              SCREENINGS WITHOUT THE IMPOSITION OF COST SHARING.

    (a) In General.--Section 2713 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 300gg-13) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the 
                end and inserting a semicolon;
                    (C) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at the 
                end and inserting ``; and'';
                    (D) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph 
                (6); and
                    (E) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following 
                new paragraph:
            ``(5) lung cancer screenings, in addition to any coverage 
        for such screenings provided pursuant to paragraph (1), for 
        individuals who have a high risk of lung cancer due to genetic, 
        occupational, family history, or other exposures and who has a 
        referral from a specialist (such as a pulmonary medicine 
        physician), provided that such specialist explains the benefits 
        and harms of such screenings and the individual's risk of lung 
        cancer.''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Special Rule for Certain Lung Cancer Screenings.--In the case 
of a lung cancer screening furnished to an individual that would be a 
service described under subsection (a)(1) but for the fact that the 
individual stopped smoking more than 15 years prior to the date of such 
screening or is 80 years of age or older as of such date, such 
screening shall be deemed to be a service so described under such 
subsection.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2022.
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