Health care coverage: scalp cooling.
Vote required
Majority
Fiscal committee
No
Appropriation
No
Current location
Passed
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Progress
Where this bill stands in the legislative process.
- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Overview
This bill expands health care coverage in California to include scalp cooling for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Specifically, it requires health care service plans and health insurance policies issued on or after January 1, 2027, to cover this treatment, which involves using FDA-cleared medical devices to reduce hair loss. The bill also extends this coverage to the Medi-Cal program, making it available to low-income cancer patients.
Key provisions
- Requires health care service plans and health insurance policies to cover scalp cooling for cancer patients.
- Defines ‘scalp cooling’ as the use of FDA-cleared medical devices applied to the scalp during chemotherapy.
- Excludes non-FDA-cleared cold caps and other scalp cooling products from coverage.
- Expands Medi-Cal coverage to include scalp cooling for cancer patients.
- Allows for copayments, coinsurance, or deductibles for scalp cooling, subject to the same terms as oncology supportive care services.
- Excludes specialized health care service plans and policies from coverage.
- Provides a constitutional exemption for local agencies and school districts from reimbursement requirements.
Who is affected
- Cancer patients
- Health care service plans
- Health insurers
- Medi-Cal recipients
- California residents
Notable changes
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