,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #hhde ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,december #c1 #bjbj,ms4 ,sewell of ,alabama 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,arrington1 ,mr4 ,ruiz1 and ,mr4 ,hudson7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to amend title ,,xviii of the ,social ,security ,act to provide for ,medicare coverage of multi-cancer early detection screening tests4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,medicare ,multi-,cancer ,early ,detection ,screening ,coverage ,act of #bjbj4 #b4 ,findings2 purpose 7a7 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,detecting cancer early1 before it has spread throughout the body1 saves lives4 ,cancers detected when still localized can be treated more effectively and have a #e-year cancer specific survival of approximately #ij percent compared with approximately #bj percent for cancers found after metastasis has occurred4 ,existing ,medicare-covered early detection tests such as mammograms and colonoscopies1 have led to a substantial reduction in age-adjusted mortality4 7#b7 ,diagnosing and treating cancer earlier often results in less invasive treatments for patients1 which are also less expensive4 ,according to peer reviewed literature1 treatment of metastatic cancer is two times more costly than treatment of cancer before it metastasizes4 7#c7 ,driving national strategies to broadly detect cancer earlier will help reduce pervasive health disparities since racial1 ethnic1 and geographic groups experience later stages of diagnosis1 along with higher cancer incidence and mortality4 7#d7 ,the benefits of early cancer detection to ,medicare beneficiaries has been limited to five cancers4 ,according to the ,national ,cancer ,institute's ,surveillance1 ,epidemiology1 and ,end ,results program1 #ga percent of the #fjj1jjj cancer deaths each year are from types of cancer without a ,medicare-covered early detection test4 7#e7 ,age is the leading risk factor for cancer1 placing ,medicare beneficiaries at elevated risk4 ,americans who are #fe years of age and older are more than #g times as likely as ,americans who are under #fe years of age to be diagnosed with cancer4 7#f7 ,several innovative private and academic efforts are engaged in research1 including advanced clinical trials to develop multi-cancer early detection blood-based tests4 ,published data indicate that these tests can screen for many cancers at the same time1 including rare cancers1 with one example currently able to screen for more than #ej cancers4 7#g7 ,multi-cancer early detection tests can complement the covered early detection tests enacted by ,congress and extend the benefits of early detection to more cancers and more ,americans4 ,medicare coverage of comprehensive multi-cancer early detection screening tests could substantially transform cancer care for ,americans1 and the ,medicare law needs modernizing to provide timely coverage and keep pace with medical innovation4 7b7 ,purpose ,the purpose of this ,act is to create a covered benefit for multi-cancer early detection screening tests to ensure ,medicare beneficiary access to these tests without unnecessary delay once approved under the ,federal ,food1 ,drug1 and ,cosmetic ,act4 #c4 ,medicare coverage of multi-cancer early detection screening tests 7a7 ,coverage ,section #ahfa of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aciex7 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7s77#b7-- 7,a7 by striking and at the end of subparagraph 7,,gg72 7,b7 by striking the period at the end of subparagraph 7,,hh7 and inserting 2 and2 and 7,c7 by adding at the end the following new subparagraph3 7,,ii7 multi-cancer early detection screening tests 7as defined in subsection 7kkk772 2 and 7#b7 by adding at the end the following new subsection3 7kkk7 ,multi-,cancer early detection screening tests ,the term multi-cancer early detection screening test means any of the following tests1 approved or cleared by the ,food and ,drug ,administration1 furnished to an individual for the purpose of early detection of cancer across many cancer types 7as categorized in the ,annual ,report to the ,nation on the ,status of ,cancer issued by the ,national ,cancer ,institute73 7#a7 ,a genomic sequencing blood or blood product test that includes the analysis of cell-free nucleic acids4 7#b7 ,such other equivalent tests 7which are based on urine or other sample of biological material7 as the ,secretary determines appropriate4 4 7b7 ,payment and frequency limit 7#a7 ,payment under fee schedule ,section #ahcc7;h7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aciel7h77 is amended-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#a77;,a71 by inserting after 7including the following3 multi-cancer early detection screening tests under section #ahfa7kkk7 and including2 and 7,b7 by adding at the end the following new paragraph3 7#aj7 ,no payment may be made under this part for a multi-cancer early detection screening test 7as defined in section #ahfa7kkk77 for an individual if such a test was furnished to the individual during the previous #aa months4 4 7#b7 ,conforming amendment ,section #ahfb7;a7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aciey7a77 is amended-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#a7-- 7i7 in subparagraph 7,o71 by striking and at the end2 7ii7 in subparagraph 7,p71 by striking the semicolon at the end and inserting 1 and2 and 7iii7 by adding at the end the following new subparagraph3 7,q7 in the case of multi-cancer early detection screening tests 7as defined in section #ahfa7kkk771 which are performed more frequently than is covered under section #ahcc7;h77#aj72 2 and 7,b7 in paragraph 7#g71 by striking or 7,p7 and inserting 7,p71 or 7,q74 7c7 ,rule of construction relating to other cancer screening tests ,nothing in this section1 including the amendments made by this section1 shall be construed-- 7#a7 in the case of an individual who undergoes a multi-cancer early detection screening test1 to affect coverage under part ,b for other cancer screening tests covered under this title1 such as screening tests for breast1 cervical1 colorectal1 lung1 or prostate cancer2 or 7#b7 in the case of an individual who undergoes another cancer screening test1 to affect coverage for a multi-cancer early detection screening test or the use of such a test as a diagnostic or confirmatory test for a result of the other cancer screening test4