Oregon Advocates Push for 2027 Legislation Mandating Insurance Coverage of Biomarker Testing
Key Insights
Patient advocates and medical experts are urging Oregon lawmakers to pass legislation in 2027 requiring health insurers to cover FDA-approved biomarker testing.
Biomarker tests can detect diseases like Alzheimer's and cancer through tissue, blood, or fluid samples, enabling personalized and targeted treatment strategies.
Nearly half of U.S. states already mandate biomarker test coverage, and Oregon advocates argue the state should join them to improve patient outcomes.
Oregon medical advocates, backed by patient testimonies and clinical expertise, are mounting a campaign to pass legislation in 2027 that would require health insurers to cover biomarker testing — a diagnostic approach increasingly viewed as essential to modern personalized medicine.
The push gained momentum during a June 16 hearing before Oregon's interim Senate healthcare committee, where advocates from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and the Alzheimer's Association joined patients and physicians in calling for state-level action.
A Patient's Journey to Diagnosis
Christy Scattarella, a 67-year-old Portland resident, shared her experience of cognitive decline that began in 2022. At age 63, she repeatedly misplaced belongings, wore clothing incorrectly, and experienced multiple minor car collisions. An initial MRI revealed nothing physically wrong, and she was prescribed anxiety medication.
Unconvinced, Scattarella sought a neurologist 18 months later. A review of her previous MRI and a blood biomarker test — which measures molecules in the body to detect disease — yielded an answer within five days: Alzheimer's disease (search).
"It's the first step toward making them standard medical practice, just like a mammogram screening, and just as accurate," Scattarella told lawmakers. "It's too late for me. It is not too late for all of you. You have the power to change the course of Alzheimer's for Oregonians. Please use it."
Following her diagnosis, physicians quickly prescribed a drug that helped her regain stability. Scattarella now advocates for others living with the disease while emphasizing quality of life. "You can have Alzheimer's, and you can still have a great life," she said. "I'm not saying how long it'll last, but I make a point of just really treasuring it every day, every moment, and living life to the fullest."
The Clinical Case for Biomarker Testing
Dr. Flavio Rocha, professor and division head of surgical oncology at Oregon Health and Science University's Knight Cancer Institute, provided expert testimony on the transformative potential of biomarker testing in oncology.
Biomarker tests, which are FDA-approved, work by sampling tissue, blood, or other body fluids to check for specific genes, proteins, or other molecules that may indicate a disease or condition. According to Rocha, these tests can help diagnose disease, show how likely a cancer is to progress or recur, and predict whether a particular treatment will be effective.
"Biomarker tests are the future of personalized cancer therapy," Rocha told lawmakers. He cited a study demonstrating that pancreatic cancer (search) patients treated with personalized therapies selected through biomarker testing can live longer.
Rocha also shared a personal story: biomarker testing helped diagnose his mother's lung cancer (search), which doctors had previously believed was a benign tumor. The tests identified a rare mutation for which targeted drugs exist. "She started that therapy. We're going on for about almost two years now, and it's a combination of pills, so it's not chemotherapy. It's targeted. She feels great," Rocha said.
Legislative Momentum
Nearly half of U.S. states already mandate insurance coverage for biomarker testing, according to the American Cancer Society. Oregon advocates are now pushing for the state to join that list in 2027.
Rep. Hai Pham, D-Hillsboro, a cancer survivor living with leukemia (search) and managing it with targeted treatment, voiced his support. "I think it's time for Oregon to follow those states' footsteps," Pham said. "We're pioneers of leading by example, and it's time that we do this for our state."
For Scattarella, whose father and sister had dementia and whose mother had cancer, the biomarker test provided clarity that had long eluded her. She and her husband recently fulfilled a lifelong dream of visiting Egypt, renovated their basement, and are treating their 22nd wedding anniversary as their golden anniversary.
"As horrific as this disease is, and trust me, I've seen it about as bad as it can be, we can still find some good, not in the disease itself, but things that come from it," Scattarella said.