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AB-536 • 2026

Health care coverage: colorectal cancer screening.

Health care coverage: colorectal cancer screening.

Healthcare
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Patterson
Last action
Official status
Senate - Appropriations
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official text does not specify an effective date, so readers cannot know exactly when these rules begin.

Health Care Coverage for Colorectal Cancer Screening

This law updates rules so health plans must cover colorectal cancer screening tests approved by the FDA that meet federal requirements or are listed in American Cancer Society guidelines, without charging patients extra fees.

What This Bill Does

  • Makes small, technical changes to existing laws about covering colorectal cancer screenings.
  • Requires coverage for new screening tests if they are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration AND either meet federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services requirements or are included in recent American Cancer Society guidelines.
  • Continues requiring zero cost sharing, meaning no copays or deductibles, for these screenings.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Health care service plans regulated by the Department of Managed Health Care.
  • Health insurers regulated by the Department of Insurance.
  • People with health insurance policies issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2022.

Terms To Know

Cost sharing
Fees like copays or deductibles that patients pay when they use health care services.
United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)
A federal group that grades medical screening tests based on how well they work to prevent disease; existing law requires coverage for tests graded A or B by this group.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The official text does not state a specific effective date.
  • New requirements apply only if the test is FDA approved AND meets one of two additional conditions (CMS requirements or American Cancer Society guidelines).

Bill History

  1. California Legislative Information

    Senate - Appropriations

Official Summary Text

Health care coverage: colorectal cancer screening.