Florida bill could make biomarker testing more accessible for cancer patients

A bill making its way through the Florida legislature could give greater access to care for cancer patients.

Biomarker testing is a costly exam that can help doctors choose a cancer treatment tailored to a patient and the bill would require Medicaid and state-regulated insurance companies to cover it, which covers about 6 million Floridians.

A local mother believes the test ultimately saved her life.

"Literally in the morning I said to my husband, 'I'm not really feeling well, and I think I’m going to go see my primary,'" Lori Weinstock told NBC6.

The active Coral Springs mother says her cancer came on very suddenly in June of 2021 when she felt immense pressure on her chest and had trouble breathing, forcing her to the emergency room.

"They said based on the tests they ran they had a high suspicion that it was cancer," she said.

Weinstock had no history of smoking so she never imagined it would be stage 4 lung cancer. A simple blood test changed everything and revealed a genetic mutation called EGFR, Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor.

"Basically, what that means is that my skin cells, at some point, decided to go a little crazy and develop tumors. So, there would be no way they would have ever determined EGFR if not for the biomarker testing, because the tissue testing did not come back. That completely changed my treatment plan,” said Weinstock.

With chemotherapy and immunotherapy scheduled for the following week, it was all scraped for a more personalized treatment plan.

"No more chemo, no more immunotherapy. In fact, immunotherapy could have been detrimental to EGFR. I could have had a much different outcome," Weinstock said.

What is Biomarker testing?

"So, Biomarker testing is often a necessary precursor to being matched up with this targeted therapy. But it also, beyond that, it provides oncologists and other physicians, even outside of the cancer space, with information about what kinds of treatments are going to work for a patient and what kinds of treatments are not going to work," explained Susan Harbin, from the American Cancer Society.

Right now, however, the tests can cost hundreds of dollars and beyond. Most insurance plans cover some Biomarker testing but not all. A bill making its way through the Florida legislature is working to change that.

“The bill covers the Medicaid population and also the state employee health insurance plan. Altogether, that's about 6 million people. So, still significant. A lot of people here in South Florida,” said Harbin.

Private, employer-sponsored health plans are federally regulated like Medicare. A lot of the same companies operate in both markets, so ensuring coverage in one area could improve and normalize biomarker testing coverage for everyone.

Weinstock says she had to jump through hoops but eventually got her test covered by her insurance company. She hopes Florida lawmakers realize the life-altering benefits as well.

“A simple blood test can change so much. It changed the outcome of my life. Over two and a half years, I've been able to share beautiful moments and live my life, and I'm grateful,” she said.

Weinstock’s health is the gift that continues to give as she has since adopted two children.

As for the bill, the house version passed its final committee Thursday morning. The senate bill is on the agenda Thursday afternoon.

If passed, the bills would go to the house and senate floors.