Overview of Current Minnesota Initiatives

Legislative Update
State Representatives Karen Clark and Greg Davids introduced a bill, that would require insurance coverage for ovarian cancer screening tests for high-risk women. The bill was successfully passed and is now identified as Statute 62.A.30.

62A.30 Coverage for diagnostic procedures for cancer.

Subdivision 1. Scope of coverage. This section applies to all policies of accident and health insurance, health maintenance contracts regulated under chapter 62D, health benefit certificates offered through a fraternal benefit society regulated under chapter 64B, and subscriber contracts offered by nonprofit health service plan corporations regulated under chapter 62C, but does not apply to policies designed primarily to provide coverage payable on a per diem, fixed indemnity or nonexpense incurred basis, or policies that provide only accident coverage.

Subd. 2. Required coverage. Every policy, plan, certificate, or contract referred to in subdivision 1 that provides coverage to a Minnesota resident must provide coverage for routine screening procedures for cancer, including mammograms, surveillance tests for ovarian cancer for women who are at risk for ovarian cancer as defined in subdivision 3, and pap smears, when ordered or provided by a physician in accordance with the standard practice of medicine.

Subd. 3. Ovarian cancer surveillance tests. For purposes of subdivision 2:

1. "At risk for ovarian cancer" means:
   1. having a family history:
      1. with one or more first or second degree relatives with ovarian cancer;
      2. of clusters of women relatives with breast cancer; or
      3. of nonpolyposis colorectal cancer; or
   2. testing positive for BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations.
      
2. "Surveillance tests for ovarian cancer" means annual screening using:
   1. CA-125 serum tumor marker testing;
   2. transvaginal ultrasound;
   3. pelvic examination; or
   4. other proven ovarian cancer screening tests currently being evaluated by the federal Food and Drug Administration or by the National Cancer Institute

HIST: 1988 c 441 s 2; 1988 c 642 s 5; 1992 c 564 art 1 s 32,54; 1994 c 465 art 3 s 11; 2004 c 288 art 6 s 2,3

Copyright 2005 by the Office of Revisor of Statutes, State of Minnesota http://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/statutes.asp.

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