Source: United States House of Representatives – Reprepsentative Kathy Castor (FL14)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, during Lung Cancer Awareness Month, U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor (D-FL), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) reintroduced the bipartisan Increasing Access to Lung Cancer Screening Act, a bill that will help lower health care costs for families while expanding access to lifesaving cancer screenings and reducing barriers to preventive care in communities that have been overlooked.
“In the United States, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, largely because too many cases are caught too late. Only 18% of eligible individuals are screened annually across the country, exposing how much work remains to save lives through early detection,” said Rep. Castor. “By making lung cancer screenings easier to access and eliminating surprise bills and insurance red tape, this bipartisan bill will help neighbors catch cancer earlier, stay healthier and live longer. Together, with my bipartisan colleagues and with the help of premier cancer research institutions like Moffit Cancer Center in Tampa, we can save tens of thousands of lives every year by expanding access to lung cancer screenings.”
“Families lose loved ones to lung cancer every day because the disease is often found too late. We know early screening saves lives; we also know too many Americans can’t get screened when they need to. The Increasing Access to Lung Cancer Screening Act changes that by removing prior authorization hurdles, ensuring no-cost annual screenings under Medicaid, expanding cessation support, and reaching high-risk communities before it’s too late. As Co-Chair of the House Cancer Caucus, I’ll continue driving bipartisan, evidence-based reforms that ensure every patient has a real chance at early detection and a fighting chance at survival,”said Rep. Fitzpatrick.
“The fight against lung cancer is very personal to me. I lost my mother and my grandmothers to the disease,” said Rep. Wasserman Schultz. “But with real advancements in treatment and increased accessibility to annual screening, we can make this disease less deadly, more treatable, and less expensive to treat. I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing this legislation to remove barriers to lung cancer screenings as early detection is one of the best tools we have to beat this deadly disease.”
Full text of the bill is available here.
Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer in the nation, but early detection saves lives and reduces long-term health care costs. The Increasing Access to Lung Cancer Screening Act tackles the affordability crisis head-on by removing financial barriers and red tape that too often delay care.
The Increasing Access to Lung Cancer Screening would:
- Prohibit prior authorization in Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance, ending delays and insurance hurdles that keep eligible patients from getting screened when they need it.
- Require Medicaid to fully cover annual lung cancer screenings for all eligible beneficiaries—with no co-pays or out-of-pocket costs.
- Expand coverage of tobacco cessation services and medications to all eligible Medicaid beneficiaries, helping people quit smoking and reducing long-term health risks and costs.
- Create an education and outreach campaign to inform individuals and health care providers about the importance of lung cancer screenings for eligible individuals.
This bipartisan legislation ensures families aren’t forced to choose between their health and their wallets—and strengthens early detection and prevention efforts in communities that have been overlooked for far too long.
Castor is a proven champion for cancer prevention, early detection and equitable access to lifesaving care. She has led bipartisan efforts to expand affordable cancer screenings and immunizations, strengthen Medicaid and Medicare coverage and remove barriers that keep families from getting the preventive services they need. Castor consistently fights to accelerate research through the National Institutes of Health, support innovative treatments and close gaps in care for communities facing higher cancer rates.
Castor has co-led the introduction of the Increasing Access to Lung Cancer Screenings Act for the past 3 Congresses—penning a 2023 op-ed titled “Transforming lung cancer care: A call to increase access to life-saving screening,” with bipartisan partners to underscore the life-saving potential of this critical legislation.
The Increasing Access to Lung Cancer Screening Act is endorsed by ALK Positive, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Radiology, American Lung Association, American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative (ALCSI), Association of American Cancer Institutes, Braf Bombers, Caring Ambassadors Program, Citizens for Radioactive Radon Reduction, EGFR Resisters, Free ME from Lung Cancer, GO2 for Lung Cancer, LiveLung, Lung Cancer Action Network (LungCAN), Lung Cancer Circle of Hope, Lung Cancer Foundation of America, Lung Cancer Initiative, Lung Cancer Research Foundation, LUNGevity Foundation, Mae’s Breath Foundation, Moffitt Cancer Center, Mountain Foundation For Education & Research in Lung Cancer, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Prevent Cancer Foundation, Rexanna’s Foundation, Small Cell Lung Cancer Advocacy, Streak For A Cure, Inc.
Organization Quotes in Support of the Increasing Access to Lung Cancer Screening Act
“The Increasing Access to Lung Cancer Screening Act is a crucial piece of legislation. Advancements in lung cancer research have led to improved treatment over the past several years. However, these treatments are most effective when people are screened for lung cancer and it is detected early. This legislation removes prior authorization barriers and makes it easier for Moffitt and other providers to screen patients and get them into treatment faster, potentially saving their lives.” – Dr. Karen Lu, Executive Vice President and Physician in Chief, Moffitt Cancer Center.
“Early detection of lung cancer is critical for saving lives, and we need to do everything possible to eliminate barriers to screening,” said Andrea Ferris, President and CEO of LUNGevity Foundation. “We are grateful to Representatives Castor, Fitzpatrick, and Wasserman Schultz for their leadership on this important legislation, which would improve awareness of and access to lung cancer screening.”
“This legislation will remove financial barriers to screening, improve access for more people who need this care, and enable patients and providers to strike a major blow against the nation’s leading cancer killer,” said American College of Radiology CEO Dana H. Smetherman, MD, MPH, MBA, FACR. “Coupled with education about the importance of screening, this expanded coverage will help ensure early detection for more people, address disparities in lung cancer outcomes, and save more lives from this terrible disease.”
“Lung cancer’s burden on families, individuals and the healthcare system is far too great. Lung cancer screening is key to early diagnosis, and early diagnosis saves lives. Unfortunately, in 2022, only 18.2% of those eligible had this lifesaving screening, according to the 2025 ‘State of Lung Cancer’ report,” said Harold Wimmer, National President and CEO of the American Lung Association. “Thank you to Congresswomen Kathy Castor and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick for sponsoring this bill to improve access to and raise awareness of critical lung cancer screening for those at high risk. We are also grateful that this bill will expand access to quit smoking services to everyone enrolled in Medicaid. Quitting smoking will lower the risk of lung cancer and is the best thing a person can do for their lung health.”
“Every day, we hear from patients and families whose lives could have been changed, or saved, if lung cancer had been caught earlier. No one should be denied a lifesaving screening due to cost or bureaucratic hurdles. The Increasing Access to Lung Cancer Screening Act offers real hope by removing barriers and ensuring that those at highest risk can get the care they need. This is a long-overdue step that will save lives and bring us closer to a future where early detection is the norm, not the exception.” – GO2 for Lung Cancer President and CEO Laurie Ambrose
“Lung cancer has the lowest screening uptake across all screenable cancers. We have the tools to enable early detection of lung cancer, when it’s more treatable—now we need to make sure everyone can access these tools,” said Crystal S. Denlinger, MD, Chief Executive Officer of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®). “We applaud the bipartisan sponsors of the Increasing Access to Lung Cancer Screening Act for championing this crucial issue. This legislation can reduce preventable deaths by improving patient awareness and increasing cancer screening according to proven recommendations from evidence-based, expert consensus-driven guidelines.”