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S2455AHealth Insurance

Insurance - Accident and Sickness Insurance Policies

This bill requires most health insurance plans to cover scalp cooling systems that reduce hair loss during chemotherapy.

Introduced38 Yea0 Nay0 Not voting
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 6, 2026Committee Senate Health & Human Services

Plain-English Summary

This bill requires health insurance companies in Rhode Island to cover the cost of scalp cooling systems for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. These systems are FDA-approved medical devices designed to cool the scalp to help prevent or reduce hair loss caused by chemotherapy treatments. The coverage requirement applies to most individual and group health insurance plans, including HMOs, that are issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027. It does not apply to certain limited or specialized insurance policies, such as accident-only, long-term care, or Medicare supplement plans.

For younger readers

This bill makes a new rule for health insurance companies. Health insurance is a service that helps pay for doctor visits. If someone has cancer and needs strong medicine called chemotherapy, it can make their hair fall out. There are special cooling caps they can wear on their heads to help keep their hair from falling out. The government group that checks if medical tools are safe, called the FDA, says these caps are okay to use. This bill says that starting in 2027, insurance companies must help pay for these cooling caps.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Cancer patientsHealth insurance companiesEmployers providing health insuranceHealthcare providersMedical device manufacturers
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely. Regulating the health insurance industry and mandating coverage for specific medical devices is a standard legislative power historically granted to the state. The bill does not infringe upon free speech, due process, or protection from unreasonable searches and seizures.

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Expands healthcare coverage and the social safety net by ensuring cancer patients have access to treatments that improve their quality of life without facing out-of-pocket financial burdens.
  • Promotes equity in medical care by mandating that insurance cover these devices, making them accessible to lower-income patients who otherwise could not afford the expensive scalp cooling systems.
  • Supports the mental health and well-being of the community by helping cancer patients maintain their dignity, reducing the psychological trauma associated with chemotherapy-induced hair loss.
  • Delays the implementation of the coverage mandate until January 1, 2027, leaving current and near-future cancer patients without this financial support.
  • Exempts several types of insurance policies, such as Medicare supplements and limited benefit health plans, which may leave some vulnerable populations without coverage for these devices.
  • May lead to increased overall health insurance premiums for everyone, potentially placing an additional financial strain on low-income individuals who struggle to afford general healthcare coverage.
For Conservatives
  • Allows cancer patients to maintain a sense of normalcy and privacy regarding their diagnosis, which can help them remain in the workforce and continue contributing to the economy during treatment.
  • Preserves corporate freedom for certain specialized insurance markets by explicitly exempting policies like Medicare supplements, long-term care, and accident-only plans from the mandate.
  • Sets a delayed implementation date of January 1, 2027, giving private insurance companies ample time to adjust their business models and pricing structures to accommodate the new requirement.
  • Imposes a new government mandate on private health insurance companies, restricting corporate freedom by dictating what services they must cover.
  • Will likely lead to higher health insurance premiums and business costs, as insurance providers pass the expense of this new mandatory coverage on to consumers and employers.
  • Expands the scope of required healthcare coverage into areas that are arguably cosmetic rather than strictly life-saving, which contradicts the conservative goal of limiting government intervention in private healthcare markets.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

2 versions
Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 76 additions

SECTION 1. Chapter 27-18 of the General Laws entitled "Accident and Sickness Insurance Policies" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 27-18-68.1. Mandatory coverage for scalp cooling systems.

(a) As used in this section, the phrase "scalp cooling systems" means any medical device that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and designed to cool the human scalp to prevent or reduce chemotherapy-induced or related alopecia before, during, and/or after chemotherapy administration for cancer treatment.

(b) Every individual or group hospital or medical expense insurance policy or individual or group hospital or medical services plan contract delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2027, shall provide coverage to individuals diagnosed with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy treatments for scalp cooling systems, as prescribed.

(c) This section shall not apply to insurance coverage providing benefits for:

(1) Hospital confinement indemnity;

(2) Disability income;

(3) Accident only;

(4) Long-term care;

(5) Medicare supplement;

(6) Limited benefit health;

(7) Specified disease indemnity;

(8) Sickness or bodily injury or death by accident or both; and

(9) Other limited benefit policies.

SECTION 2. Chapter 27-19 of the General Laws entitled "Nonprofit Hospital Service Corporations" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 27-19-59.1. Mandatory coverage for scalp cooling systems.

(a) As used in this section, the phrase "scalp cooling systems" means any medical device that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and designed to cool the human scalp to prevent or reduce chemotherapy-induced or related alopecia before, during, and/or after chemotherapy administration for cancer treatment.

(b) Every individual or group hospital or medical expense insurance policy or individual or group hospital or medical services plan contract delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2027, shall provide coverage to individuals diagnosed with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy treatments for scalp cooling systems, as prescribed.

(c) This section shall not apply to insurance coverage providing benefits for:

(1) Hospital confinement indemnity;

(2) Disability income;

(3) Accident only;

(4) Long-term care;

(5) Medicare supplement;

(6) Limited benefit health;

(7) Specified disease indemnity;

(8) Sickness or bodily injury or death by accident or both; and

(9) Other limited benefit policies.

SECTION 3. Chapter 27-20 of the General Laws entitled "Nonprofit Medical Service Corporations" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 27-20-54.1. Mandatory coverage for scalp cooling systems.

(a) As used in this section, the phrase "scalp cooling systems" means any medical device that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and designed to cool the human scalp to prevent or reduce chemotherapy-induced or related alopecia before, during, and/or after chemotherapy administration for cancer treatment.

(b) Every individual or group hospital or medical expense insurance policy or individual or group hospital or medical services plan contract delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2027, shall provide coverage to individuals diagnosed with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy treatments for scalp cooling systems, as prescribed.

(c) This section shall not apply to insurance coverage providing benefits for:

(1) Hospital confinement indemnity;

(2) Disability income;

(3) Accident only;

(4) Long-term care;

(5) Medicare supplement;

(6) Limited benefit health;

(7) Specified disease indemnity;

(8) Sickness or bodily injury or death by accident or both; and

(9) Other limited benefit policies.

SECTION 4. Chapter 27-41 of the General Laws entitled "Health Maintenance Organizations" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 27-41-71.1. Mandatory coverage for scalp cooling systems.

(a) As used in this section, the phrase "scalp cooling systems" means any medical device that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and designed to cool the human scalp to prevent or reduce chemotherapy-induced or related alopecia before, during, and/or after chemotherapy administration for cancer treatment.

(b) Every individual or group hospital or medical expense insurance policy or individual or group hospital or medical services plan contract delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2027, shall provide coverage to individuals diagnosed with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy treatments for scalp cooling systems, as prescribed.

(c) This section shall not apply to insurance coverage providing benefits for:

(1) Hospital confinement indemnity;

(2) Disability income;

(3) Accident only;

(4) Long-term care;

(5) Medicare supplement;

(6) Limited benefit health;

(7) Specified disease indemnity;

(8) Sickness or bodily injury or death by accident or both; and

(9) Other limited benefit policies.

SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon passage.