SB177 • 2026

Health; to require that coverage for breast cancer screening be provided without charging an insured a deductible or copayment

Healthcare Technology

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Coleman-Madison
Last action: 2026-02-12
Official status: Pending Committee Action in Second House
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill has passed the Senate but is pending committee action in the House; it will not take effect until January 1, 2027.

SB177: No Cost for Breast Cancer Screening

This bill requires health benefit plans in Alabama that cover breast examinations to provide them without charging a deductible, copayment, or coinsurance.

What This Bill Does

Requires health benefit plans covering breast exams to pay for supplemental and diagnostic breast examinations without cost-sharing charges.
Prohibits insurers from imposing deductibles, copayments, or coinsurance on beneficiaries for these specific exams.

Who It Names or Affects

Health benefit plans issued, delivered, or renewed in Alabama that cover hospitalization and medical expenses.
Individuals who reside in Alabama and are enrolled in health benefit plans covering breast examinations.
Entities such as insurers, health maintenance organizations, nonprofit agricultural groups providing health benefits, and other entities paying for health care services.

Terms To Know

Cost-sharing requirement: A deductible, copayment, coinsurance, or similar expense that the insured person must pay for a covered benefit.
Diagnostic breast examination: A medically necessary test using technology like mammography or ultrasound to evaluate an abnormality seen in a screening exam or detected by other means.
Supplemental breast examination: An extra screening for people with increased risk factors, such as dense tissue or family history, when no specific abnormality is suspected yet and recommended by a physician.

Limits and Unknowns

The law does not apply to accident-only policies, specified disease plans, individual hospital indemnity, credit insurance, dental-only plans, Medicare supplements, long-term care, disability income, or other limited benefit health insurance.
This act becomes effective on January 1, 2027.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

PSLBYEG-1

R 346 • Coleman-Madison

Adopted

Plain English: This amendment changes when the new law about free breast cancer screening will start.

The bill will now take effect on January 1, 2027.

NRSEXTT-1

R 347 • Coleman-Madison

Adopted

Plain English: This amendment updates the bill to define specific types of breast exams that must be covered without a deductible or copayment.

It changes the definition of required coverage to include necessary and appropriate breast examinations using technology.
It adds rules requiring insurance plans to cover evaluations for abnormalities found during screening tests.

The provided text cuts off before listing all specific examples of what a 'supplemental breast examination' includes, so the full list is unknown.
Because the amendment only shows short replacements without the surrounding context, it is unclear exactly how these new definitions fit into the rest of the bill.

KHRN8U5-1

V • Coleman-Madison

Adopted

Plain English: This amendment updates the bill to define a 'supplemental breast examination' as a medically necessary check that follows specific national cancer guidelines.

It adds new rules for when an exam is needed, such as checking something strange found during a screening or by another test.
It requires these exams to follow the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines.

The provided text cuts off before finishing the full list of what the supplemental examination includes.
Because the sentence is incomplete, it is unclear exactly which specific tests or procedures are covered under this new definition.

Bill History

2026-02-12 House
Pending Committee Action in Second House
2026-02-12 House
Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Insurance
2026-02-11 Senate
Engrossed
2026-02-10 Senate
Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 348 (Yeas 30, Nays 0)
2026-02-10 Senate
Coleman-Madison motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 347 (Yeas 30, Nays 0)
2026-02-10 Senate
Coleman-Madison motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 346 (Yeas 30, Nays 0)
2026-02-10 Senate
Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 30, Nays 0)
2026-02-10 Senate
Coleman-Madison 1st Amendment Offered
2026-02-10 Senate
Coleman-Madison motion to Table - Adopted Voice Vote
2026-02-10 Senate
Banking and Insurance 1st Amendment Offered
2026-02-10 Senate
Banking and Insurance 2nd Amendment Offered
2026-02-05 Senate
Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar
2026-02-04 Senate
Reported Out of Committee House of Origin
2026-02-04 Senate
Banking and Insurance 2nd Amendment
2026-02-04 Senate
Banking and Insurance 1st Amendment
2026-01-20 Senate
Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
2026-01-20 Senate
Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Banking and Insurance

Official Summary Text

Health; to require that coverage for breast cancer screening be provided without charging an insured a deductible or copayment

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SB177 ENGROSSED
Page 0
SB177
DGVISTN-2
By Senators Coleman-Madison, Figures, Smitherman, Beasley,
Coleman
RFD: Banking and Insurance
First Read: 20-Jan-26
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SB177 Engrossed
Page 1
First Read: 20-Jan-26
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to health insurance; to require that health
benefit plans offered in this state which pay or reimburse for
breast examinations, including mammography, provide the
coverage without imposing a deductible, copayment, or
coinsurance charge on the beneficiary.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. (a) For purposes of this section, the
following terms have the following meanings:
(1) COST-SHARING REQUIREMENT. A deductible, copayment,
coinsurance, or similar expense borne by the insured for a
covered benefit under a health benefit plan.
(2) DIAGNOSTIC BREAST EXAMINATION. A medically
necessary and appropriate examination of the breast by
technology that includes, but is not limited to,
contrast-enhanced mammography, diagnostic mammography, breast
magnetic resonance imaging, breast ultrasound, or molecular
breast imaging that is used to:
a. Evaluate an abnormality seen or suspected from a
screening examination for breast cancer; or
b. Evaluate an abnormality detected by another means of
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SB177 Engrossed
Page 2
b. Evaluate an abnormality detected by another means of
examination.
(3) HEALTH BENEFIT PLAN. a. Any plan, policy, or
contract issued, delivered, or renewed in this state that
provides health coverage that includes payment for
hospitalization, physician care, treatment, surgery, therapy,
drugs, equipment, and any other medical expense, regardless of
the following:
1. Whether the plan, policy, or contract is provided by
a health care insurer; health maintenance organization
established under Chapter 21A of Title 27, Code of Alabama
1975; health care services plan established under Chapter 20
of Title 10A, Code of Alabama 1975; a nonprofit agricultural
organization that provides health benefits to its members
under Chapter 33 of Title 2, Code of Alabama 1975; or any
other entity that pays for, purchases, or reimburses for
health care services.
2. Whether the plan is for a group or an individual.
b. The term does not include accident-only, specified
disease, individual hospital indemnity, credit, dental-only,
Medicare supplement, long-term care, disability income, or
other limited benefit health insurance policies, or coverage
issued as supplemental to liability insurance, workers'
compensation, or automobile medical payment insurance.
(4) SUPPLEMENTAL BREAST EXAMINATION. A medically
necessary and appropriate examination of the breast that
includes, but is not limited to, contrast-enhanced
mammography, breast magnetic resonance imaging, breast
ultrasound, or molecular breast imaging that is used to screen
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SB177 Engrossed
Page 3
ultrasound, or molecular breast imaging that is used to screen
for breast cancer when there is no abnormality seen or
suspected, based on personal or family medical history or
additional factors that increase the risk of breast cancer,
including dense tissue, on the recommendation of a physician.
(b) A health benefit plan that pays for, purchases, or
furnishes health care services to individuals who reside in
this state, and which provides coverage for a supplemental
breast examination or a diagnostic breast examination, may not
impose any cost-sharing requirement on an enrollee for a
supplemental breast examination or diagnostic breast
examination.
Section 2. This act shall become effective on January
1, 2027.
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SB177 Engrossed
Page 4
1, 2027.
Senate
Read for the first time and referred
to the Senate committee on Banking
and Insurance
................20-Jan-26
Read for the second time and placed
on the calendar:
2 amendments
................05-Feb-26
Read for the third time and passed
as amended
Yeas 30
Nays 0
Abstains 1
................10-Feb-26
Patrick Harris,
Secretary.
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