H.R. 2144/S. 1450, the “Access to Genetic Counselor Services Act” received a huge boost on Feb. 2, 2022 from President Biden and the first lady.
Unfortunately, in today’s Medicare program, beneficiaries face significant barriers in accessing genetic counselor services, as Medicare does not recognize or directly reimburse genetic counselors for their services. Additionally, recent evidence demonstrates disparities in access to genetic counselor services based on social determinants of health and geographic differences.
President Biden’s Cancer Panel — part of the Cancer Moonshot effort — recommended that CMS recognize genetic counselors as health care providers.
The benefits of genetic counselor services, and the access challenges faced by Medicare beneficiaries, were recognized by a high-profile panel of scientific, research and public experts — the President’s Cancer Panel. The Panel noted that genetic counselors “cannot be reimbursed directly through Medicare,” and recommended that:
“Legislative changes should be made so that genetic counselors are recognized as healthcare providers by CMS. This would allow genetic counselors to contribute their specialized knowledge and skills to medical teams working to deliver high-quality care to patients at elevated risk for cancer and other diseases.”
H.R. 2144/S. 1450, the “Access to Genetic Counselor Services Act,” is aligned with the goals of the President. This is a significant step to advance the legislation into law as the full weight of the Biden Administration is behind CMS recognition of genetic counselors.
NSGC and our coalition of supporters will be working with Congress as legislation is considered to ensure health care innovation and personalized medicine reaches patients. There is no better way to ensure that appropriate genetic testing reaches Medicare patients than to add genetic counselors to the Medicare program. Legislative packages will be considered this spring and summer that could include H.R. 2144/S. 1450.
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NSGC Headquarters promotes the professional interests of genetic counselors and provides a network for professional communications. Access to continuing education opportunities, professional resources, advocacy and the discussion of all issues relevant to human genetics and the genetic counseling profession are an integral part of belonging to the NSGC.