AB-536 • 2026

Health care coverage: colorectal cancer screening.

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Patterson
Last action: 2025-08-29
Official status: In committee: Held under submission.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and digest do not provide specific details about the technical changes made to existing laws, only stating they are nonsubstantive.

Health Care Coverage: Colorectal Cancer Screening

This law makes technical changes to existing rules about health care coverage for colorectal cancer screening tests and adds new requirements for certain approved screening tests.

What This Bill Does

Makes technical, nonsubstantive changes to the current laws that require health insurance plans to cover colorectal cancer screening tests without charging patients money.
Adds a requirement that if a screening test is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it must meet specific coverage requirements set by federal agencies or be included in guidelines from the American Cancer Society to get free coverage.

Who It Names or Affects

People with health insurance who need colorectal cancer screening tests
Health insurance companies and managed health care services

Terms To Know

Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975: A law that sets rules for licensing and regulating health care service plans in California.
United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF): An independent group that makes recommendations about preventive services, like screenings, based on scientific evidence.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what the technical changes are.
It is unclear if and when this bill will be signed into law after passing through the legislature.

Bill History

2025-08-29 California Legislative Information
In committee: Held under submission.
2025-07-14 California Legislative Information
In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.
2025-06-26 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 1.) (June 25). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-06-11 California Legislative Information
In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
2025-05-14 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on HEALTH.
2025-05-06 California Legislative Information
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
2025-05-05 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 74. Noes 0. Page 1425.)
2025-04-24 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-04-23 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (April 23).
2025-04-09 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-03-25 California Legislative Information
Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.
2025-03-24 California Legislative Information
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. Read second time and amended.
2025-03-24 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on HEALTH.
2025-02-12 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be heard in committee March 14.
2025-02-11 California Legislative Information
Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 536, as amended, Patterson.
Health care coverage: colorectal cancer screening.
Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law generally requires a health care service plan contract or a health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2022, to provide coverage without cost sharing for a colorectal cancer screening test assigned either a grade of A or a grade of B by the United States Preventive Services Task Force and for a required colonoscopy for a positive result on a test with those grades.
This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.
This bill would additionally require that coverage if the screening test is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration and either meets requirements for coverage established by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as specified, or is included in the most recently published guidelines from the American Cancer Society.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Download Bill PDF