By this summer, state employees in Florida covered by state group health insurance plans could have access to free annual skin cancer screenings.
On March 1, 2024, legislation was unanimously passed by both chambers of the state legislature that will provide for the free screenings for this group as of July 1. Some 321,000 state employees would be eligible, at a cost of about $357,000 per year, according to a legislative analysis. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is expected to sign the bill.
The analysis concluded that the bill would have a "significant negative fiscal impact on the state employee group health plan," as screenings will ultimately reduce cancer incidence and related morbidity and mortality.
The screenings aim to provide access to patients who may think they might not be able to afford a visit or who may have other perceived or real barriers to going for a skin check, said Sima Jain, MD, president of the Florida Academy of Dermatology.
"It's really meant to give patients access who need it," said Jain, a dermatologist in private practice in Orlando.
The goal is early detection. "If I do a simple excision on a melanoma and we catch it early, it's done, it's cured," Jain told this news organization. "It's a win-win. We catch it early and insurance companies pay less money," she said.
An effort to have all insurers in the state provide free screenings failed in 2023.
From 2016 to 2020, Florida had a higher overall incidence of melanoma at 25.4 per 100,000 than the national average of 22.5, according to the National Cancer Institute. The state had some 7500 cases of melanoma each year during that period.
The incidence rate in some Florida counties is as high as 32.7-45.6 per 100,000.
The Florida legislation will allow physician assistants and advanced practice nurses who operate under the supervision of a dermatologist to conduct the screenings.
It's not clear how many state employees will access the free skin checks. "I don't expect to see a flood of skin cancer screenings," said Jain, noting that she hopes that it attracts primarily those at highest risk.
If signed by the governor, Florida will be the second state to cover skin cancer screenings in some way. Illinois has required free skin cancer screening for all insured residents since 2020.
Alicia Ault is a Saint Petersburg, Florida-based freelance journalist whose work has appeared in publications including JAMA and Smithsonian.com. You can find her on X @aliciaault.