Bipartisan Senate Bill Proposes Medicare Coverage for New Blood Tests That Detect Multiple Cancers Early
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
This bill would add a new benefit to Medicare: coverage for multi-cancer early detection screening tests (like blood-based liquid biopsy tests). Starting January 1, 2028, Medicare beneficiaries could get a single blood test that screens for many types of cancer at once, at no additional out-of-pocket cost beyond what Medicare pays. This could catch cancers earlier when they're more treatable, potentially saving lives. The test would be available once every 12 months, with age limits that start at 68 in 2028 and increase by one year each subsequent year.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
The legislative package folded in a bill that calls on Medicare to fund multicancer early detection (MCED) testing starting in 2028. This law aligns our health care system with the pace of scientific innovation and brings us one step closer to a future where more cancers are found earlier.
HR842, the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) Screening Coverage Act, passed the House Ways and Means Committee 43-0. The bill creates a pathway for Medicare to cover emerging diagnostic tools, once FDA-approved, which can screen for up to 40 cancers via blood test.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act 2026 includes Medicare provisions that lay the groundwork for adding coverage for blood tests that can detect many different forms of cancer at the same time. The bill passed the House with broad bipartisan support and now heads to the Senate.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
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