Pandemic Darlings The pandemic economy, in original documents
Home Source documents Senate Commerce Committee Statement to Senate, No. 1796 (March 16, 2026)

Senate Commerce Committee Statement to Senate, No. 1796 (March 16, 2026)

Summary

Statement to Senate, No. 1796, with committee amendments, from the Senate Commerce Committee of the State of New Jersey, dated March 16, 2026, reporting Senate Bill No. 1796 favorably. The statement says the amended bill requires listed health insurers and corporations to cover an annual prostate cancer screening without cost sharing, in accordance with the latest nationally recognized clinical practice guidelines. It states the requirements would apply to high-deductible health plans to the maximum extent permissible under federal law. It describes current law as requiring coverage of an annual diagnostic examination for men age 50 and over who are asymptomatic and for men age 40 and over with a family history of prostate cancer.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Cite this document

“Senate Commerce Committee Statement to Senate, No. 1796 (March 16, 2026).” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2026-03-16-scm-s1796-s1-54a82c3f86/, SHA-256 cc23484653cf51d439d88a9636f985eaf1d8bff195b769ff6ba67dd62db601c1.

Full text

     SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE

                    STATEMENT TO

                  SENATE, No. 1796
                   with committee amendments



 STATE OF NEW JERSEY
                     DATED: MARCH 16, 2026

    The Senate Commerce Committee reports favorably and with
committee amendments Senate Bill No. 1796.
    As amended, the bill requires health, hospital, and medical service
corporations, health maintenance organizations, and commercial group
health insurers to provide coverage for an annual prostate cancer
screening without cost sharing in accordance with the latest nationally
recognized clinical practice guidelines. The prostate cancer screening
requirements are also extended to commercial individual health
insurers, health benefits plans issued pursuant to the New Jersey
Individual Health Coverage Program, Small Employer Health Benefits
Program, the State Health Benefits Program, and the School
Employees’ Health Benefits Program, which are not required to
provide this coverage under current law. “Nationally recognized
clinical practice guidelines” is defined in the amended bill as evidence-
based clinical practice guidelines, developed by independent
organizations or medical professional societies using a transparent
methodology and reporting structure, which set standards of care
informed by a systemic review of evidence and include
recommendations to optimize patient care.
    The amended bill specifies that these coverage requirements would
apply to high-deductible health plans to the maximum extent
permissible under federal law, unless the plan is used to establish a
medical savings account or a health savings account under the federal
Internal Revenue Code, as well as a plan that meets the requirements
of a catastrophic plan, as defined under federal regulations.
    Under current law, these health insurance carriers are required only
to provide coverage for an annual medically recognized diagnostic
examination including, but not limited to, a digital rectal examination
and a prostate-specific antigen test for men age 50 and over who are
asymptomatic and for men age 40 and over with a family history of
prostate cancer or other prostate cancer risk factors.
    This bill was prefiled for introduction in the 2026-2027 session
pending technical review. As reported, the bill includes the changes
required by technical review, which has been performed.
                                   2

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS
    The committee amended the bill to:
    (1) stipulate that annual prostate cancer screenings are required
pursuant to the nationally recognized clinical practice guidelines;
    (2) add a definition of national recognized clinical practice
guidelines;
    (3) apply the prohibition on cost-sharing to anyone getting the
screening;
    (4) apply the provisions of the bill to high-deductible health plans
to the maximum extent permitted under federal law except under
certain circumstances; and
    (5) modify the effective date regarding the bill’s application to the
New Jersey Individual Health Coverage Program.

File and source

File
2026-03-16_SCM_S1796_S1.pdf
Size
114,385 bytes
SHA-256
cc23484653cf51d439d88a9636f985eaf1d8bff195b769ff6ba67dd62db601c1
Our copy
2026-03-16_SCM_S1796_S1.pdf
Original
No public link identified.
Back to top