New York Bill would require health insurers to cover prostate cancer screenings

Each year in New York State, almost 15,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer.

“It’s the number 3 cancer killer for men,” Senator James Tedisco (R-49^th District) said. “27,000 men (in the U.S.) have died already this year from prostate cancer so it’s a serious problem, it’s an ongoing problem.”

Sen. Tedisco has brought forward legislation he is co-sponsoring that will require insurance companies to cover in full prostate cancer screenings for men over 40 with a history of prostate cancer in their family, and also for all men over the age of 50.

Prostate cancer incidence rate per 100,000 by County

	Cases	Average male population	Crude	Adjusted
Region/County	2010	2011	2012	Total	2010-2012	Rate	Rate
Reg- 1 Long Island
Nassau	1,255	1,119	1,030	3,404	651,478	174.2	146.3
Suffolk	1,270	1,172	1,016	3,458	737,214	156.4	141.3
Region Total	2,525	2,291	2,046	6,862	1,388,692	164.7	143.4
Reg- 2 New York City
Bronx	933	1,031	921	2,885	656,827	146.4	174.4
Kings	1,527	1,810	1,518	4,855	1,199,839	134.9	147.6
New York	1,106	1,157	1,021	3,284	755,128	145.0	139.7
Queens	1,594	1,667	1,416	4,677	1,092,854	142.7	141.7
Richmond	315	343	328	986	227,867	144.2	133.5
Region Total	5,475	6,008	5,204	16,687	3,932,516	141.4	147.2
Reg- 3 Mid-Hudson
Dutchess	210	260	216	686	148,214	154.3	133.7
Orange	256	228	229	713	187,077	127.0	129.2
Putnam	82	79	85	246	49,718	164.9	146.0
Rockland	300	325	247	872	154,694	187.9	175.9
Sullivan	64	51	48	163	39,457	137.7	106.4
Ulster	131	138	132	401	90,643	147.5	116.0
Westchester	807	803	666	2,276	460,781	164.6	147.2
Region Total	1,850	1,884	1,623	5,357	1,130,585	157.9	142.0
Reg- 4 Capital Region
Albany	190	246	204	640	147,302	144.8	127.6
Columbia	53	57	43	153	31,509	161.9	108.5
Greene	54	45	18	117	25,513	152.9	113.6
Rensselaer	108	123	112	343	78,885	144.9	127.1
Saratoga	124	149	131	404	108,786	123.8	105.0
Schenectady	94	89	70	253	75,058	112.4	97.4
Region Total	623	709	578	1,910	467,052	136.3	114.7
Reg- 5 Mohawk Valley
Fulton	39	38	29	106	27,303	129.4	98.4
Herkimer	57	53	53	163	31,639	171.7	124.8
Montgomery	26	25	15	66	24,453	90.0	70.2
Otsego	56	44	28	128	30,004	142.2	104.6
Schoharie	27	24	16	67	16,225	137.7	97.4
Region Total	205	184	141	530	129,624	136.3	101.0
Reg- 6 North Country
Clinton	79	57	45	181	41,994	143.7	132.0
Essex	26	37	32	95	20,315	155.9	108.5
Franklin	39	40	40	119	28,384	139.8	136.5
Hamilton	s	s	s	14	2,428	192.2	92.1
Warren	40	79	56	175	32,079	181.8	133.5
Washington	36	61	34	131	32,642	133.8	107.2
Region Total	227	278	210	715	157,841	151.0	123.3
Reg- 7 Tug Hill Seaway
Jefferson	79	86	55	220	60,676	120.9	136.5
Lewis	19	12	21	52	13,689	126.6	102.5
St. Lawrence	87	119	80	286	57,016	167.2	149.0
Region Total	185	217	156	558	131,381	141.6	138.1
Reg- 8 Central NY
Cayuga	57	59	33	149	40,725	122.0	97.3
Cortland	33	38	35	106	24,138	146.4	124.7
Madison	70	76	65	211	35,733	196.8	159.6
Oneida	229	216	216	661	116,649	188.9	154.0
Onondaga	466	494	422	1,382	225,337	204.4	182.0
Oswego	95	116	79	290	60,819	158.9	142.7
Region Total	950	999	850	2,799	503,402	185.3	158.9
Reg- 9 Southern Tier
Broome	202	190	126	518	97,679	176.8	142.1
Chenango	39	41	38	118	24,984	157.4	111.5
Delaware	36	28	32	96	23,873	134.0	87.8
Tioga	71	56	42	169	25,219	223.4	170.4
Tompkins	74	70	36	180	50,318	119.2	129.5
Region Total	422	385	274	1,081	222,074	162.3	131.6
Reg- 10 Finger Lakes
Chemung	76	70	60	206	44,213	155.3	132.2
Livingston	47	57	48	152	32,598	155.4	130.7
Monroe	608	658	525	1,791	360,323	165.7	149.0
Ontario	127	104	59	290	53,011	182.4	140.3
Schuyler	16	14	9	39	9,205	141.2	97.3
Seneca	35	24	19	78	18,468	140.8	113.9
Steuben	73	64	72	209	49,152	141.7	105.3
Wayne	104	122	66	292	46,284	210.3	170.2
Yates	30	20	14	64	12,304	173.4	124.4
Region Total	1,116	1,133	872	3,121	625,558	166.3	141.3
Reg- 11 Western NY
Allegany	31	36	38	105	24,574	142.4	115.0
Cattaraugus	75	79	81	235	39,488	198.4	154.8
Chautauqua	224	258	194	676	66,292	339.9	267.6
Erie	809	1,081	921	2,811	443,754	211.2	178.9
Genesee	48	48	46	142	29,815	158.8	129.5
Niagara	176	189	183	548	104,806	174.3	139.3
Orleans	27	41	31	99	21,283	155.1	133.7
Wyoming	33	49	35	117	22,889	170.4	153.5
Region Total	1,423	1,781	1,529	4,733	752,901	209.5	173.7
New York State	15,010	15,878	13,500	44,388	9,441,625	156.7	145.3

Data: NY Department of Health

The bill would hopefully encourage more men to get screened before they start to experience problems by cutting out any costs associated with the procedure.

“We know that at 50 is probably usually the starting point, but those who have indicators in the past, genetically, we think we should get them in at 40.”

The bill is similar to the one Governor Andrew Cuomo passed in 2016 mandating that insurance companies cover breast cancer screenings.

“This is another case where if you don’t get out in front of this for an individual who can’t afford these types of things, it’s only going to cost us more in the future when they come down with prostate cancer and they have to be hospitalized for longer.”

The bill will be voted on once the legislative session is back in swing.

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