{"id":94,"date":"2026-05-15T15:06:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T15:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northcarolinamovingjournal.com\/?p=94"},"modified":"2026-05-15T15:06:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T15:06:26","slug":"nc-parents-and-doctors-push-for-insurance-coverage-for-a-medical-test-they-say-saves-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northcarolinamovingjournal.com\/?p=94","title":{"rendered":"NC parents and doctors push for insurance coverage for a medical test they say saves lives"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ashley Fannin was working as a pediatric oncology nurse when her 6-year-old son Mason was diagnosed with leukemia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Fannin says Mason, now 14, plays baseball and soccer and enjoys hunting, fishing and camping. He accompanied his mother to the Legislative Building this week to hear her advocate for insurance coverage for biomarker testing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fannin, who lives in Clayton, said biomarker testing helped Mason\u2019s doctors design a treatment plan for his aggressive form of cancer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt helped our doctors decide to increase the frequency of the steroids and chemotherapy from every three months to every month, and we went beyond the standard of care to do an extra year of treatment,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Biomarkers are genetic material or proteins from a patient\u2019s tumors or blood that can be found by advanced lab testing. In cancer diagnoses, doctors analyze those biomarkers to help tailor treatments to the individual patient. However, the tests can sometimes be expensive, and some insurance plans don\u2019t cover them, leaving patients to bear the cost.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Representatives from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the Arthritis Foundation and the <\/span>Alzheimer\u2019s Association are working to pass <\/span>House Bill 567<\/span>, which would require insurance plans to cover biomarker testing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the cancer world, choosing the right treatment plan can mean the difference between a short life expectancy after diagnosis or walking away with a cure,\u201d said Rep. Grant Campbell (R-Cabarrus), a medical doctor and one of the bill\u2019s sponsors. \u201cBiomarkers are intelligence that we can use to save lives and increase cure rates for patients.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The bill won easy approval in the state House last year, but has not received a Senate hearing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Last year, the state Senate passed <\/span>a bill mandating that any proposed legislation requiring health insurance to cover new services must also <\/span>repeal requirements to cover the same number of other services. The bill requiring biomarker testing coverage does not meet that requirement.<\/span><\/p>\n

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NC Senate passes bill capping medical insurance coverage for several public and private plans<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n