Both chambers of the Mississippi Legislature have put their stamp of approval on a bill requiring state-regulated health insurance plans to cover biomarker testing for cancer, sending the measure to Gov. Tate Reeves for his signature.
The Senate followed the House’s lead by unanimously passing House Bill 565 on Wednesday. The bill mandates insurers regulated by the Mississippi Insurance Department, including Medicaid and the State and School Employees Health Insurance Plan, provide coverage for biomarker testing when used for the diagnosis, treatment, appropriate management, or ongoing monitoring of a patient’s cancer.
Biomarker testing analyzes biological indicators, often through blood or tissue samples, to help doctors identify which treatments are most likely to be effective for a specific type of cancer. In some cases, the testing can help determine whether a patient is more likely to benefit from treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, or targeted therapies.
The bill is being referred to as “Jill’s Law” in honor of the late wife of Rep. Casey Eure, R-Saucier, who used biomarker testing following her cancer diagnosis. It was authored by House Public Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Sam Creekmore, R-New Alby, and was supported by all Republicans and Democrats in both chambers.
“I’m so honored to see such strong, bipartisan support for this important legislation and to have it named in honor of my beloved wife, Jill,” Eure said. “I urge Gov. Reeves to quickly sign this into law so that more Mississippi families can have the gift of time with their loved ones.”
The American Cancer Society, along with cancer survivors and volunteers working through the nonprofit, advocated for the bill. Kimberly Hughes, government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said its passage is a step toward saving “critical time” in cancer fights as “more than 18,000 Mississippians will hear the words, ‘you have cancer,’ this year.”
Ashleigh Parker, a colon cancer survivor from Olive Branch, has utilized biomarker testing throughout her fight and credited the technology with her doctors deciding on the correct treatment.
“My provider team knew biomarker testing was the first step we needed to take after my colon cancer diagnosis,” Parker said. “Biomarker testing showed us chemotherapy was my best treatment path. It also caught my cancer recurrence. I am here today, nearly seven years after my diagnosis, because of biomarker testing.”
If signed into law by Reeves, all state-regulated health plans that are entered into or renewed after July 1, 2026, will be required to cover biomarker testing.