Increasing Access to Lung Cancer Screening Act

Key Points

• The bill requires all state Medicaid programs to cover annual lung cancer screenings at no cost to the patient for people who meet U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines. Screenings would not require prior authorization, removing a common barrier to getting timely care.
• It expands Medicaid tobacco cessation coverage from just pregnant women to all Medicaid enrollees. This includes counseling, prescription drugs, and even over-the-counter cessation products, and it now covers e-cigarette and vape pen users too.
• The bill bans prior authorization requirements for lung cancer screenings across Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and private insurance plans offered on the individual and group markets. This ensures that eligible patients can get screened without waiting for insurer approval.
• Congress would authorize $10 million per year for five years (2028 through 2032) to fund an education and outreach campaign about the importance of lung cancer screenings, targeted at high-risk individuals and their doctors.
• Within one year of enactment, the Government Accountability Office must study whether current screening guidelines miss certain high-risk groups like firefighters, veterans, and women under 50, and recommend ways to improve screening for those populations.