Expanding Access to Lifesaving Screenings

July 7, 2026 | VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2

Respiratory health care professionals are incredible advocates for the benefits of preventive care, especially when it relates to protecting and preserving lung health.

In the United States, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, but uptake for screening remains low. Despite the efforts of the pulmonary community to reach patients at risk for lung cancer, only 18% of eligible individuals in the United States currently receive annual low-dose CT scans.¹

Patient perceptions of lung cancer screening are affected by a variety of social, financial, and structural factors, including clinician endorsement, fear (of a diagnosis and the screening procedure itself), perceived value of detection, risk perception, geographic barriers, and financial impacts.²

In attempts to address some of these hurdles, CHEST has endorsed the bipartisan Increasing Access to Lung Cancer Screening Act as a critical step in advancing access to screening and reducing financial impacts.

In addition to expanding coverage for screening, the Act would:

• Prohibit prior authorization for screening in Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance, ending delays and insurance hurdles that enact barriers for patients who are eligible for screening
• Require Medicaid to fully cover annual lung cancer screenings for all eligible beneficiaries—with no copays or out-of-pocket costs
• Expand coverage of tobacco cessation services and medications to all eligible Medicaid beneficiaries, helping at-risk patients access evidence-based treatments to quit smoking and reducing long-term health risks and costs
• Create an education and outreach campaign to inform the public and health care professionals about the importance of lung cancer screenings for eligible individuals

Read the Senate version (S.4566) and the House version (H.R.6178) of the Act.

Typically, federal cancer screening recommendations, eligibility, and related cost coverage are established through recommendations of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). In response to recent shakeups in the process for USPSTF recommendation development, the Senate version of the bill includes language to anchor to USPSTF recommendations as of March 9, 2021, and safeguard against any USPSTF changes, such as decreasing the recommended frequency of screenings or narrowing the recommended population.

Bipartisan momentum is building in support of the Act, and CHEST is working alongside our partners to advance this critical legislation. CHEST is an active member of the Early Lung Cancer Coalition, led by the LUNGevity Foundation, a group composed of diverse interest holders, including health care associations, cancer centers, and patient advocate organizations. Future policy goals of the Coalition include additional lung cancer legislation regarding coverage for diagnostic follow up and treatment.

Early detection for lung cancer—through increasing screening rates and reducing barriers to access—remains vital to advancing patient outcomes and saving lives.

Follow CHEST advocacy updates for future developments on the Increasing Access to Lung Cancer Screening Act. Reach out to advocacy@chestnet.org to learn more and get involved.