New York becomes first state to mandate insurance coverage for cancer hair-preservation treatment – QNS

Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in New York will now have greater access to hair-preservation treatments, thanks to new legislation requiring insurance providers to cover the cost of scalp cooling systems.

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The bill, co-sponsored by State Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky and Assembly Member Linda B. Rosenthal, was signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday, Dec. 13.

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With this groundbreaking legislation, New York becomes the first state in the country to mandate insurance coverage for scalp cooling therapy— a treatment that can help reduce hair loss, a common side effect of chemotherapy.

Stavisky, who represents Queens’ 16th Senate District, including Flushing, Bayside and Kew Gardens Hills, and Rosenthal, representing Manhattan’s Upper West Side and Hell’s Kitchen, introduced the legislation in 2023 to provide critical support for cancer patients.

Stavisky said the legislation would help counteract the “devastating” side effect of hair loss, commonly associated with patients undergoing chemotherapy. She also noted that cold scalp cooling systems work in approximately 85% of all cases.

“This legislation is important to those undergoing chemotherapy treatments,” Stavisky said in a statement. “An individual will be viewed not as a sick person but as a person.” 

Rosenthal also welcomed the news that the legislation had been signed into law, stating that cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy often report that hair loss adds to the trauma of their diagnosis.

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“Undergoing chemotherapy is one of the most emotionally and physically distressing medical experiences that one can endure,” Rosenthal said in a statement. “Women receiving this treatment say that losing  their hair adds extra trauma to their cancer diagnosis, altering their identity and self-esteem, serving as a  constant reminder of their disease and signaling to others that they are ill.” 

Rosenthal said insurance companies often view scalp cooling treatments as a cosmetic procedure and refuse to cover the costs of the treatment.

“This first-in-the-nation legislation gives cancer patients, particularly women, an opportunity to reclaim a small part of themselves as they navigate one of the most tumultuous times of their lives,” Rosenthal said. 

Under the new law, large private health insurance plans must provide coverage for scalp cooling systems that are used in connection with chemotherapy treatment. 

The cooling system, which is composed of a cap filled with cold liquid kept at 32 degrees Fahrenheit that constricts blood vessels in the scalp, helps reduce hair loss by reducing the amount of chemotherapy drugs that reach hair follicles. Patients wear a cooling cap before, during, and after chemotherapy sessions to ensure the treatment is effective. 

The US Food and Drug Administration has already approved three different scalp cooling systems, and Medicare and Medicaid already cover them.

A number of healthcare organizations, major hospitals and research centers supported the legislation, including the American Cancer Society, Sharing and Caring, the Rapunzel Project, the American Nursing Association, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Columbia, Mount Sinai, Northwell, Weill Cornell, NYU, Montefiore, Stony Brook  University, Roswell Park, the University of Rochester Medical Center and New York Health and Hospitals.