Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill Tuesday making Mississippi the 23rd state to require insurance plans to cover biomarker testing for cancer.
House Bill 565 was passed by both chambers of the Mississippi Legislature with unanimous, bipartisan support. It mandates insurers regulated by the Mississippi Insurance Department, including Medicaid and the State and School Employees Health Insurance Plan, provide coverage for biomarker testing when used for the diagnosis, treatment, appropriate management, or ongoing monitoring of a patient’s cancer.
Biomarker testing analyzes biological indicators, often through blood or tissue samples, to help doctors identify which treatments are most likely to be effective for a specific type of cancer. In some cases, the testing can help determine whether a patient is more likely to benefit from treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, or targeted therapies.
The new law will be known as “Jill’s Law” in honor of the late wife of Rep. Casey Eure, R-Saucier, who used biomarker testing following her cancer diagnosis. It was authored by House Public Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Sam Creekmore, R-New Albany.
“I’m so honored to see such strong, bipartisan support for this important legislation and to have it named in honor of my beloved wife, Jill,” Eure said. “I thank Gov. Reeves for signing this into law so that more Mississippi families can have the gift of time with their loved ones like we did.”
The American Cancer Society, along with cancer survivors and volunteers working through the nonprofit, advocated for the bill. Kimberly Hughes, government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said its passage is a step toward saving “critical time” in cancer fights as “more than 18,000 Mississippians will hear the words, ‘you have cancer,’ this year.”
“We are so thankful to Mississippi lawmakers and Gov. Tate Reeves for passing and signing Jill’s Law,” Hughes said. “We have spoken with countless cancer patients and survivors who say biomarker testing made a huge difference in their treatment and know this will help increase access for Mississippians.”
One of those survivors, Olive Branch native Ashley Parker, has utilized biomarker testing throughout her fight against colon cancer and credited the technology as to how her doctors decided on the correct treatment for her.
“After my colon cancer diagnosis, my provider team knew biomarker testing was the first step we needed to take,” Parker said. “Biomarker testing showed us chemotherapy was my best treatment path. It also caught my cancer recurrence. I am here today, nearly seven years after my diagnosis, because of biomarker testing.”
With Reeves’ signature, all state-regulated health plans that are entered into or renewed after July 1, 2026, are required to cover biomarker testing.
