Healthcare experts are sounding the alarm over a new Medicare coverage determination, which will restrict patients with certain cancers from receiving genetic testing, writes Jessica Towhey in the DC Journal.
On January 9, 2025, Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services finalized a Local Coverage Determination (LCD) that denies coverage for nine genetic tests—a move experts warn is detrimental to early interventions and preventive patient care for cancer patients.
The decision, set to take effect on April 24, 2025, could cause patients diagnosed with bladder, pancreatic, skin, and thyroid cancers to lose access to genetic testing.
In the piece, Towhey cites Saul Anuzis, president of the 60 Plus Association and the American Association of Senior Citizens, who argues that the decision is yet another example of “middlemen repeatedly interfer[ing] in our healthcare.” Ending coverage for these tests, he adds, “will prevent doctors from being able to intervene earlier and match their patients with the treatment plans they need.”
Read Jessica R. Towhey’s full piece here.