HB1211: HB1211 Insurance; guidelines and recommendations for colorectal cancer screening, examinations, and laboratory tests; provide

Georgia law already requires health benefit policies to cover colorectal cancer screening, exams, and lab tests based on guidelines from certain medical authorities. This bill rewrites that section of the law (O.C.G.A. § 33-24-56.3) to broaden which organizations' guidelines count. Under the revised law, insurers would have to follow recommendations from the American Cancer Society (working with the American College of Gastroenterology and American College of Radiology), the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, the United States Preventive Task Force, or a national coverage determination from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Coverage would still depend on the patient's age, family history, and screening frequency as described in those guidelines, and on what the attending physician decides is appropriate after talking with the patient. The bill repeals any conflicting laws.

• Rewrites subsection (b) of Georgia's colorectal cancer screening coverage law (O.C.G.A. § 33-24-56.3) to expand which medical guideline sources insurers must follow.
• Adds the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, the United States Preventive Task Force, and Medicare/Medicaid national coverage determinations as approved guideline sources.
• Keeps the requirement that coverage depend on age, family history, and screening frequency described in the applicable guidelines.
• Keeps the final coverage decision tied to the attending physician's judgment after discussing options with the patient.
• Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with the updated coverage requirement.

Georgians covered by private health benefit policies in the state, insurance companies that must determine which screenings to cover, and physicians who decide, based on the expanded set of medical guidelines, which colorectal cancer tests are appropriate for a given patient.

Patients could see coverage for colorectal cancer screening tied to a wider range of respected medical guidelines, potentially covering tests or screening ages that older, narrower guideline references did not clearly address, without changing who ultimately approves the specific test.

• Section 1 revises subsection (b) of O.C.G.A. § 33-24-56.3 to list the American Cancer Society (with the American College of Gastroenterology and American College of Radiology), the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, the United States Preventive Task Force, and CMS national coverage determinations as acceptable guideline sources.
• Section 1 keeps the rule that coverage applies to the ages, family histories, and frequencies specified in those guidelines, as judged appropriate by the attending physician after conferring with the patient.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-03-31Senate Tabled (Senate)
2. 2026-03-27Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
3. 2026-03-27Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
4. 2026-03-06Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
5. 2026-03-04House Passed/Adopted (House)
6. 2026-03-04House Third Readers (House)
7. 2026-02-19House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
8. 2026-02-09House Second Readers (House)

• Trey Kelley (R, HD-016)Primary sponsor
• Lee Hawkins (R, HD-027)
• Mark Newton (R, HD-127)
• Joseph Gullett (R, HD-019)
• Matthew Gambill (R, HD-015)
• Demetrius Douglas (D, HD-078)
• Ben Watson (R, SD-001)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 4, 2026

   165 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 10 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #639

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2026

   39 yea, 10 nay (2 not voting, 3 absent)

   Motion To Table Remaining Legislation On The Rules Calendar: Senate Vote #912

• health insurance
• colorectal cancer screening
• insurance coverage mandates
• cancer prevention