---
title: O.C.G.A. § 33-24-56.3. Colorectal cancer screening and testing.
collection: code
id: 33-24-56.3
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 33-24-56.3 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/33-24-56.3
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/33-24-56.3.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/33-24-56.3/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t33-ch23-65-(v25)-2020-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=68297_0#page=332
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
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heading_path: INSURANCE / INSURANCE GENERALLY / GENERAL PROVISIONS
extraction_warnings:
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---

# O.C.G.A. § 33-24-56.3. Colorectal cancer screening and testing.

(a) As used in this Code section, the term:

(1) ‘‘Health benefit policy’’ means any individual or group plan, policy, or contract for health care services issued, delivered, issued for delivery, executed, or renewed by an insurer in this state, including, but not limited to, those contracts executed by the Department of Community Health pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection (d) of Code Section 31-2-4. The term ‘‘health benefit policy’’ does not include the following limited benefit insurance policies: accident only, CHAMPUS supplement, dental, disability income, fixed indemnity, long-term care, medicare supplement, specified disease, vision, and nonrenewable individual policies written for a period of less than six months.

(2) ‘‘Insurer’’ means any person, corporation, or other entity authorized to provide health benefit policies under this title.

(b) Every health benefit policy shall provide coverage for colorectal cancer screening, examinations, and laboratory tests in accordance with guidelines and recommendations established by the American Cancer Society, in consultation with the American College of Gastroen-terology and the American College of Radiology, for the ages, family histories, and frequencies referenced in such guidelines and recommendations and deemed appropriate by the attending physician after conferring with the patient.

(c) The benefits provided in this Code section shall be subject to the same annual deductibles or coinsurance established for all other covered benefits within a given health benefit policy.

## History

Code 1981, § 33-24-56.3, enacted by Ga. L. 2002, p. 1089, § 1; Ga. L. 2009, p. 453, § 1-41/HB 228; Ga. L. 2019, p. 386, § 55/SB 133; Ga. L. 2020, p. 493, § 33/SB 429.

The 2019 amendment, effective July 1, 2019, deleted ‘‘on or after July 1, 2002,’’ following ‘‘insurer in this state’’ in the middle of the first sentence of paragraph (a)(1); and deleted ‘‘the most recently published’’ preceding ‘‘guidelines and recommendations’’ near the middle of subsection (b).

The 2020 amendment, effective July 29, 2020, part of an Act to revise, modernize, and correct the Code, revised punctuation in the first sentence of paragraph (a)(1).

## Law Reviews

For note on the 2002 enactment of this Code section, see 19 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 220 (2002).