This article was written by State Representative Hannah Kane, who represents the 11th Worcester District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and is a dedicated advocate for healthcare access, early cancer detection, and legislative reform.
Advocating for Early Cancer Detection Action and Better Healthcare Access
I don’t know a family that has not been impacted by a loved one’s cancer diagnosis, including my own. The impact of DetecTogether’s work to raise awareness of early cancer symptoms and educate people to discuss symptoms with healthcare professionals promptly has profoundly impacted all those they have reached and advocates who have helped spread the word.
Driving Policy to Improve Cancer Detection & Treatment
Upon election into office in 2015 as State Representative for the 11th Worcester District, I was determined to be an ally and support the consequential work of DetecTogether and to do all I could as a lawmaker to support efforts to prevent, cure and treat cancer:
- Co-founded the Cancer Awareness Caucus in the Massachusetts Legislature and championed a bill to create a Massachusetts Rare Disease Advisory Council (RDAC) and served as an original member.
- Serve as the Ranking Minority Member on the Joint Committees on Public Health and Healthcare Financing, where all bills related to healthcare in Massachusetts are heard and debated.
- Prioritize and support the work of DetecTogether, including during COVID-19, when it became challenging for individuals to get timely access to healthcare and testing for potential cancer symptoms, with delayed diagnosis potentially impacting the outcomes for patients.
The Massachusetts Legislature passed several cancer-specific bills last session, and we also tackled prescription drug costs, hospital oversight reforms, and firefighter cancer protections. These efforts align with DetecTogether’s mission to ensure individuals receive timely diagnoses and treatment, saving lives and reducing healthcare costs
The Cancer Awareness Caucus and the DetecTogether Factor
As the Chair of the Cancer Awareness Caucus, I have supported DetecTogether’s efforts to raise awareness of early cancer symptoms and educate people on how to discuss symptoms with healthcare professionals.
Last year, the Cancer Awareness Caucus hosted DetecTogether to present a briefing on their work to educate the public on their critical role in early cancer detection and the importance of early diagnosis and treatment on outcomes.
Their briefing covered the difference early detection makes for cancer patients and their families, how they design their educational materials for different audiences, and how individuals can advocate for themselves in healthcare settings. Understanding how early detection and treatment improves health outcomes and saves money for patients, their families, businesses, and the healthcare system is helpful for legislators and their staff, and improves support for policies that address cancer education and access to care.
The 3 Steps Detect program was also beneficial for attendees to learn about, as it includes information on early signs of cancer, which are often subtle, and how to monitor their own health.
I am grateful for DetecTogether’s commitment to empowering patients and the general public by educating them on early cancer detection. I am proud that a nonprofit in the 11th Worcester District is doing this vitally important work.
Reducing Cancer Incidence and Death: What’s Next?
The 194th legislative session, which began on January 1, 2025, presents opportunities to advance cancer awareness, treatment, and detection legislation. Representative Carmine Gentile of the 13th Middlesex District and I refiled An Act to reduce incidence and death from pancreatic cancer in the House, and Senator Joanne Comerford, of the Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester District, refiled the bill in the Senate.
This bill creates a comprehensive framework to improve pancreatic cancer awareness, detection, and treatment, including a statewide public education and community outreach initiative. The provisions in this legislation are based on the recommendations outlined in the Special Commission to Study Pancreatic Cancer’s final report, published in 2019. This bill was filed in the previous legislative session, and nearly 100 Representatives and Senators co-sponsored this legislation. Unfortunately, that legislation was sent to study, meaning the bill would not advance in that legislative session.
Surprisingly, of the more than 6,000 bills filed each legislative session, only 3%-4% became law. Refiling the bill this session gives it another chance to become law, and we hope that more than 100 legislators will co-sponsor the bill this session as well.
Patient Access to Biomarker Testing
Representative Meghan Kilcoyne, of the12th Worcester District, also refiled An Act relative to patient access to biomarker testing to provide appropriate therapy, which I have co-sponsored. This legislation would expand access to biomarker testing, which uses a patient’s tissue or body fluids to detect specific genes or proteins. Healthcare professionals can use biomarker testing results as part of the diagnostic process or determine how a patient’s cancer will respond to a drug.
Biomarker testing allows cancer patients to receive effective treatment specific to their condition instead of trying a series of treatments that may be less effective before finding the right one. This bill was also filed in the previous legislative session and reported favorably by both the Joint Committee on Financial Services and the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. The House Committee on Ways and Means did not advance this bill out of the Committee before the end of the previous legislative session on December 31, 2024, the deadline for bills filed in that session to become law. The refiled bill will have to start from the beginning of the legislative process, but we hope it will progress further in the current session.
Medically Necessary and Equitable Breast Screenings and Exams for Early Detection: Expanding Insurance Coverage
Although the pancreatic cancer and biomarker testing bills did not pass in the 2023-2024 session, other bills that support early cancer detection efforts successfully moved through the legislative process and became law. H4918, An Act relative to medically necessary breast screenings and
exams for equity and early detection, expands access to follow-up screenings for breast cancer.
Although insurers cover yearly mammograms, steep out-of-pocket costs for follow-up screenings are a financial barrier to care and perpetuate inequities in healthcare. H4918 requires insurers to cover medically necessary screening with no out-of-pocket costs starting in 2026 so that more women receive the imaging they need for an accurate diagnosis. This bill that I co-sponsored was signed into law on November 13, 2024, and is an important step toward health equity for women in Massachusetts.
Increasing access to follow-up screenings will help breast cancer patients receive an accurate diagnosis when their cancer is still in the early stages, when treatment is more likely to be successful. Early breast cancer treatment not only improves a patient’s likelihood of survival but reduces the need for more invasive treatment and lowers costs for both patients and the healthcare system as a whole.
Addressing High Prescription Drug Costs and Clinical Accountability
The Legislature also passed two larger healthcare-related bills during the last session, one to reduce prescription costs and another to reform hospital oversight. High prescription drug costs can impose financial burdens on patients that can deter them from seeking care or force them to choose between paying for prescriptions or other necessities. S3012, An Act relative to pharmaceutical access, costs, and transparency legislation (known as the PACT Act) includes provisions that lower the out-of-pocket cost of certain drugs, regulate pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), increase data collection and analysis of prescription cost trends, and establish new consumer protections.
H5159, An Act enhancing the market review process, was drafted in response to the Steward Health Care crisis, which disrupted care across Massachusetts and resulted in the closure of Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center. This bill enhances reporting requirements, expands the Attorney General’s healthcare market oversight, and increases fines for failure to report failures with timely information. By addressing prescription drug costs and strengthening hospital oversight, these bills will improve healthcare affordability and accessibility in Massachusetts, making it easier for individuals to find and obtain early cancer treatment.
Protecting Firefighters from Cancer Risks
The Legislature has also taken steps to protect firefighters, who face increased cancer risk due to exposure to toxins. S2902, An Act relative to the reduction of certain toxic chemicals in firefighter personal protective equipment, was signed into law on August 15, 2024. PFAS chemicals are frequently used in fire equipment but are linked to elevated cancer risk and other illnesses.
This bill requires firefighting equipment manufacturers to provide notice to purchasers if their gear contains PFAS and prohibits selling gear with intentionally added PFAS starting on January 1, 2027. These measures are meant to phase out high-PFAS firefighter turnout gear and support the adoption of safer protective equipment. HD364, an Act mandating access to cancer screenings for firefighters through health care benefits plans or programs provided by the public employer, was filed during this session and is a bill I have co-sponsored.
The bill, if passed, would provide full-time firefighters with cancer screenings every three years for the duration of their employment, which would be covered by insurance with no out-of-pocket costs, thereby promoting regular cancer screenings and remove financial barriers that may otherwise prevent firefighters from being screened. These efforts align with DetecTogether’s outreach to firefighters, which also acknowledges the cancer
risks firefighters face and emphasizes seeking care when cancer is more treatable instead of toughing out symptoms.
Addressing Primary Care Shortages
Unfortunately, there are still barriers in the healthcare system that limit access to care for individuals who are concerned about a possible cancer diagnosis. The 3 Steps Detect program includes an awareness of one’s health baseline and sharing concerns about changes in health with a doctor, and annual physicals help patients and their doctors build a relationship and monitor changes.
However, Massachusetts is facing a shortage of primary care doctors due to low reimbursement rates, an aging workforce, and burnout among physicians. As a result, many individuals cannot find a primary care doctor accepting new patients or wait months for an appointment.
Patients who don’t have access to primary care often turn to urgent care clinics or emergency departments, neither of which are suited to preventative care or tracking long-term health. Other patients may see a concierge doctor and pay an additional membership fee on top of insurance premiums, seek primary care out of state, or forgo seeing a doctor at all.
Expanding access to primary care helps patients obtain early detection and treatment, and both the Legislature and the Administration are looking at ways to grow the primary care workforce in Massachusetts and taking action to address barriers to primary care access.
The Health Policy Commission (HPC) is an independent state agency working to improve the affordability of health care for all residents of the Commonwealth. Through data-driven analysis, actionable policy insights, public accountability, and innovative investments, the HPC seeks to improve healthcare delivery, lower costs, and reduce health disparities. The HPC released a report on January 16, 2025, outlining the causes of the primary care crisis in Massachusetts, as well as possible solutions. The report’s recommendations include increasing spending for primary care, resuming Medicaid funding for graduate medical education, and reducing administrative burdens for primary care doctors.
H5159, An Act enhancing the market review process, which was signed into law in 2024, establishes a task force to study primary care access in Massachusetts and make recommendations on how to strengthen the primary care system, which will provide further insight into legislation and policies that can improve access to care.
In addition, the economic development bond bill signed into law last year includes a pathway to allow foreign-trained doctors to practice medicine in Massachusetts, which is expected to increase access to care in underserved communities. Although there are many challenges facing the primary care system, improving access to primary care will allow more people to obtain timely diagnosis and treatment, saving lives across Massachusetts.
A Call to Action: Advocating for Early Cancer Detection and DetecTogether’s 3 Steps Detect
We are very fortunate to live in New England surrounded by the best healthcare institutions in the world, and yet we know we have much work to do to support the healthcare ecosystem and ensure individuals have timely access to the care they need at all times. The work of DetecTogether is absolutely critical as they help people understand the profound effect that early diagnosis and being a champion self-advocate can have on individuals’ health outcomes. I am proud to support their work and will continue to be a strong healthcare advocate on Beacon Hill!
