S.J.R. 8
- *SJR8*
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 8–COMMITTEE ON
LEGISLATIVE OPERATIONS AND ELECTIONS
MAY 15, 2023
____________
Referred to Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections
SUMMARY—Urges Congress to enact legislation requiring
Medicare to cover multi-cancer early detection tests.
(BDR R-1191)
FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: No.
Effect on the State: No.
~
EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION—Urging Congress to enact
legislation requiring Medicare to cover multi-cancer early
detection tests.
WHEREAS, Detecting cancer early, before it spreads throughout 1
the body, saves lives; and 2
WHEREAS, Diagnosing and treating cancer early often allows for 3
less invasive and less expensive treatments than when cancer is 4
diagnosed and treated later; and 5
WHEREAS, Beneficiaries of Medicare in Nevada currently have 6
access to screening tests for the early detection of only five different 7
types of cancers; and 8
WHEREAS, The American Cancer Society estimates that 5,850 9
residents of Nevada will die of cancer in 2023 and that there are no 10
effective screening tests for 6 of the 10 types of cancers that cause 11
the most such deaths; and 12
WHEREAS, According to the National Cancer Institute, age is the 13
most important risk factor for being diagnosed with cancer, and 14
because Medicare beneficiaries are predominantly older persons, 15
Medicare beneficiaries are at an elevated risk for cancer; and 16
WHEREAS, Several companies and academic researchers are 17
developing and studying tests that are capable of detecting multiple 18
types of cancer from a single sample of blood, which are known as 19
multi-cancer early detection tests; and 20
– 2 –
- *SJR8*
WHEREAS, Dr. Minetta C. Liu et al. coauthored “Sensitive and 1
specific multi-cancer detection and localization using methylation 2
signatures in cell-free DNA” in the June 2020 publication of Annals 3
of Oncology, which found that multi-cancer early detection tests are 4
able to detect more than 50 types of cancer; and 5
WHEREAS, Multi-cancer early detection tests supplement other 6
screening tests and help diagnose types of cancer for which no 7
screening tests are currently recommended; and 8
WHEREAS, Nevada Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky 9
Rosen and Representatives Mark Amodei, Steven Horsford and 10
Dina Titus joined a bipartisan group of over 300 cosponsors and 400 11
stakeholder organizations from across the country in supporting the 12
Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act; 13
now, therefore, be it 14
RESOLVED BY THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF 15
NEVADA, JOINTLY, To urge the bipartisan leadership of the 118th 16
Congress of the United States to enact legislation establishing the 17
Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act or 18
similar legislation to establish coverage for multi-cancer early 19
detection tests under Medicare; and be it further 20
RESOLVED, That the members of the 82nd Session of the 21
Nevada Legislature do hereby urge the 118th Congress of the 22
United States to work in a bipartisan manner to reduce deaths from 23
cancer in Nevada; and be it further 24
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of the Senate prepare and 25
transmit a copy of this resolution to the President of the United 26
States, the Governor of Nevada, the Vice President of the United 27
States as the presiding officer of the Senate, the Speaker of the 28
House of Representatives and each member of the Nevada 29
Congressional Delegation; and be it further 30
RESOLVED, That this resolution becomes effective upon 31
passage. 32
H