S. 339: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
Enacted as part of HR7148: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026· Feb 3, 2026
Sponsor
Mike Crapo
Republican · ID
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Jan 30, 2025
Read twice and Referred to Finance. for review
Medicare will cover a multi-cancer blood test — if you're under 68
Why it matters
One blood draw, screened for early signs of many cancers at once, before any symptom shows up — that is what Medicare would start paying for in 2028 under S. 339. The catch is built into the first year: anyone already 68 on January 1, 2028 is left out, and that age line climbs by one year every year after. The measure drew 68 Senate cosponsors from both parties, and its text became law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (Public Law 119-75).
S. 339, the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act, creates a Medicare coverage path for multi-cancer early detection tests starting in 2028. To qualify, a test has to screen for several cancer types across different organs, clear the FDA, and be judged appropriate for Medicare patients by federal health officials.
The bill is written mainly around blood tests that read fragments of genetic material floating in your bloodstream, though other kinds of samples can qualify if the government decides they work just as well. Each new test runs through Medicare's national coverage review before a dollar is paid.
Coverage is not wide open. Medicare generally pays for only one of these tests every 11 months. And in 2028 it pays nothing for anyone already 68 by January 1 that year — a line that moves up to 69 in 2029, 70 in 2030, and one year higher every year after.
Those limits vanish for any test that earns an A or B grade from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the federal panel that rates screenings. The bill also says adding this benefit cannot be used to cut existing Medicare screenings for breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, or prostate cancer.
The standalone bill never moved out of the Senate Finance Committee, but its language became law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (Public Law 119-75).
S. 339 Bill Summary
What S. 339 actually does.
Medicare starts paying for multi-cancer screening in 2028
Beginning in 2028, Medicare can cover a qualifying multi-cancer early detection test for people in Part A or Part B, once federal health officials determine the test is reasonable, necessary, and appropriate for Medicare patients.
One test, screening for many cancers
The benefit applies to tests designed to detect multiple cancer types across multiple organs in a single screening, not a test aimed at just one cancer.
Mostly a blood test
S. 339 is built mainly around genomic blood tests that analyze cell-free genetic material, but it leaves room for tests using other biological samples if the government decides they deliver comparable results.
One covered test every 11 months
Medicare generally will not pay for another covered test if you had one within the previous 11 months.
An age cutoff that climbs each year
Medicare pays nothing in 2028 for anyone who had reached age 68 by January 1 that year. The cutoff then rises to 69 in 2029, 70 in 2030, and continues increasing by one year annually.
A top federal rating removes the limits
If the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends a test with a grade of A or B, the age cutoff and the 11-month limit no longer apply to that test.
Existing cancer screenings stay protected
The bill states that adding this category cannot be used to reduce Medicare coverage for existing screenings for breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, or prostate cancer.
Who benefits from S. 339?
Medicare patients under the age cutoff
If you are enrolled in Medicare and below that year's age line, S. 339 gives you covered access to a single screening that looks for multiple cancers before symptoms appear.
People aging into the benefit later
Because the age line rises one year annually after 2028, beneficiaries who are above the cutoff at the start gain a path to coverage as the threshold catches up to them.
Doctors weighing an added screening option
Clinicians get another Medicare-paid screening tool to discuss with patients, while standard cancer screenings remain in place alongside it.
Companies making qualifying detection tests
Manufacturers whose tests clear FDA review and meet Medicare's standards get a defined national coverage pathway for this new screening category.
Who is affected by S. 339?
Beneficiaries already past the age cutoff
If you had reached the year's age threshold by January 1 — age 68 in 2028 — Medicare will not pay for the test that year unless it has earned an A or B recommendation from the federal preventive services panel.
Patients wanting frequent repeat screening
Anyone seeking another covered test within 11 months would generally pay out of pocket unless the test carries that A or B recommendation.
Test makers whose products do not qualify
Tests not cleared or approved by the FDA, or that Medicare does not find appropriate for detecting multiple cancers across multiple organs, are not covered.
Federal health officials running the reviews
Health and Human Services must evaluate each new test through Medicare's national coverage determination process and decide whether non-blood tests are comparable enough to qualify.
What Congress Is Saying
S. 339 hasn't been debated on the floor yet.
This section updates when a legislator speaks about it on the floor or in committee.
S339 Legislative Journey
Committee Action
Jan 30, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
About the Sponsor
Mike Crapo
Republican, ID · 33 years in Congress
Committees: Finance, Joint Committee on Taxation, Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
View full profile →
Cosponsors at time of passage (68)
This bill has 68 cosponsors: 35 Democrats, 32 Republicans, 1 Independent, reflecting bipartisan support. Cosponsors represent 44 states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, and 41 more.
Michael Bennet
Democrat · CO
Tim Scott
Republican · SC
Ron Wyden
Democrat · OR
James Lankford
Republican · OK
Mike Rounds
Republican · SD
Thomas Tillis
Republican · NC
Ted Budd
Republican · NC
Amy Klobuchar
Democrat · MN
Roger Marshall
Republican · KS
Jon Ossoff
Democrat · GA
James Risch
Republican · ID
Jeff Merkley
Democrat · OR
Committee Sponsors
Finance Committee
19 of 27 committee members cosponsored at the time
What laws does S. 339 change?
1 changes
Sections Amended
Section 1834 of Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m)
adding at the end the following new subsection: ``(aa) Payment and Standards for Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Tests
S. 339 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Finance
- Chamber
- Senate
- Policy
- Health
- Introduced
- Jan 30, 2025
Read twice and Referred to Finance. for review
Jan 30, 2025
Official Sources
Official Congress.gov page for the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act, including text, cosponsors, and committee history.
The vehicle that carried S. 339's text into law — H.R. 7148, enacted February 3, 2026 as Public Law 119-75.
The bill text directs the Secretary to use Medicare's national coverage determination process before paying for any new multi-cancer early detection test.
Before 2031 the bill pegs payment for the new test to the rate Medicare pays for the multi-target stool DNA screening test (Cologuard), the benchmark named in the bill text.
The bill's rule of construction states that adding this category cannot reduce existing Medicare colorectal cancer screening coverage.
Official Medicare overview of covered preventive screenings, the existing benefit framework this new multi-cancer screening category would join.
If the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force grades a covered test A or B, the bill removes the age cutoff and 11-month limit — this is the official USPSTF list of those grades.
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S. 339 Common Questions
When would Medicare start covering these multi-cancer blood tests?
Coverage for qualifying tests would begin on or after January 1, 2028.
Did S. 339 actually become law?
The standalone bill stayed in the Senate Finance Committee, but its text was folded into the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (Public Law 119-75). The Medicare coverage still starts in 2028.
Does this cover the Galleri-type multi-cancer blood test?
The bill names no brand. It is aimed at blood tests that analyze cell-free genetic material — the category Galleri falls into — but any specific test still has to clear the FDA and pass Medicare's coverage review to be paid for.
How often would Medicare pay for the test?
Generally once every 11 months. If you had a covered test in the previous 11 months, Medicare would not pay for another one.
Are people 68 and older left out?
In 2028, yes — Medicare would not pay if you had already turned 68 by January 1 that year. The cutoff then rises one year annually: 69 in 2029, 70 in 2030, and up from there.
What if the test gets a top federal prevention rating?
If the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force gives a test a grade of A or B, the age cutoff and the 11-month limit no longer apply to that test.
Would this replace mammograms or colon cancer screening?
No. The bill says Medicare coverage for existing screenings — breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer tests — stays in place.
How much would Medicare pay for it?
The bill sets no new dollar figure. Before 2031, payment tracks the rate for the multi-target stool DNA screening test Medicare already covers. After that, Medicare uses the lower of that benchmark or its standard lab-test pricing.
Based on S. 339 bill text
S. 339 Bill Text
“To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of multi-cancer early detection screening tests.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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