“Biomarker testing is the analysis of a person’s tissue, blood and other substances, known as biomarkers, that can provide information about a disease. While most current applications of biomarker testing are in oncology and autoimmune diseases, there is research underway to benefit other patients including those with neurological conditions like Parkinson’s.

While biomarker testing can provide people with critical information about their health, insurance coverage is failing to keep pace with innovation. We urge states to take legislative action to require health plans, including Medicaid, to cover biomarker testing so that more individuals have access to this important health care tool.

Legislative action on biomarker testing access coincided with the MJFF’s groundbreaking news, announced in April 2023, that researchers have discovered a new biomarker tool that can reveal a key pathology of the Parkinson’s: abnormal alpha-synuclein — known as the “Parkinson’s protein” — in brain and body cells.

Last year, twelve states passed legislation related to expanding insurance coverage for biomarker testing — Arizona, California, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma and Texas. In 2024, MJFF is pursuing legislation in Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Maine and Pennsylvania.”

Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research

(https://www.michaeljfox.org/news/shaping-future-parkinsons-states-2024-policy-priorities)