New Legislation Would Mandate Medicare Coverage for Genetic Counseling

Genetic counselors are a part of the team at many Hemophilia Treatment Centers. They are available to patients and caregivers to provide more information about the diagnosis and its genetic implications. However, as some patients have learned, their services are not always covered and reimbursed. A bill recently introduced in Congress may start to change that.

H.R. 2144, the “Access to Genetic Counselor Services Act,” was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on March 23 by Representative Brian Higgins (D-New York). The bill would authorize the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to recognize certified genetic counselors (CGCs) as healthcare providers, improving access to genetic counselors for Medicare beneficiaries. Although the legislation only applies to those receiving Medicare by virtue of age or disability status, CMS recognition is often a first step in getting payers in general to provide reimbursement for a particular service.

The Coalition for Hemophilia B supports this effort to ensure that these important services are available to all who need them. Legislative strategies are still in development as of this writing. You can track the progress of this bill here. We will keep the community informed as this legislation moves forward and may ask for your participation in efforts to seek passage