2025-03
Addressing Cancer Disparities in the Hispanic/Latino Community
Sponsored by
Sen. Rebecca Saldaña (WA)
Reported to the Caucus by the
NHCSL Healthcare Task Force
Rep. Alma Hernández (AZ), Chair
Unanimously ratified by the Caucus on November 22, 2025
WHEREAS, cancer continues to be the second leading cause of death in the United States[1] with a disproportionate effect on certain racial and ethnic groups;[2] and,
WHEREAS, Hispanic/Latino people face some of the largest cancer disparities with a higher likelihood of later-stage diagnosis, poor quality of life[3] and worse health outcomes compared to their white counterparts[4] as a result of limited access to preventive screenings and quality treatment driven by a lack of comprehensive coverage;[5] and,
WHEREAS, roughly 195,300 Hispanic/Latino people in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer this year and approximately 50,400 will die from the disease;4 and,
WHEREAS, Hispanic/Latino people experience significantly higher incidence rates for cervical, stomach, liver, gallbladder, acute leukemia, and kidney cancer compared to white people, many of which are largely preventable with risk-reduction actions including early detection;4 and,
WHEREAS, compared to white people, Hispanic/Latino men and women have lower survival rates for breast, melanoma and prostate cancer, largely due to later-stage diagnosis driven by limited access to timely, optimal treatment;4 and,
WHEREAS, health disparities in the Hispanic/Latino population are driven by significant socioeconomic and structural barriers[6] that make Hispanic/Latino people the least likely to have health insurance of any major racial or ethnic group[7] and less likely to receive a preventive cancer screening for cervical, breast and colorectal cancer4 or biomarker testing to guide them to the most effective treatment;[8] and,
WHEREAS, in Resolution 2018-26, National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL) recognized that “Hispanic men diagnosed with prostate cancer reported poorer quality of life relative to both Non-Hispanic whites and African Americans; and, while there are also disparities between the latter groups, they closely track income disparities, but the disparity between Non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics was only partially explained by income, suggesting that additional… factors may account for poorer quality of life;”[9] and,
WHEREAS, in Resolution 2021-21, the NHCSL recognized the importance of biomarker testing as a tool to “support diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of patients in a personalized way,” specifically highlighting its importance in colorectal cancer, and called on states and the federal government “to approve rules and/or enact legislation to ensure equal, fairly priced access to biomarker testing and precision medicine with a focus on eliminating the racial, ethnic and other socioeconomic disparities that have plagued the field up to now;” and,
WHEREAS, in Resolution 2022-04, the NHCSL supported legislation to reduce disparities in early detection and survival of Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) by, among other policies, “equitable screening amongst populations who are at a greater risk for TNBC, and referrals for genetic counseling and testing without patient out-of-pocket costs,” having noted that Black and “Hispanic women are less likely to receive genetic counselling or genetic testing for BRCA mutations that can cause Triple Negative Breast Cancer, even when they have strong family histories of cancer;” and,
WHEREAS, the costs of diagnostic breast imaging and a lack of education on available resources for screenings are the leading reasons women avoid mammograms or follow-up screenings;[10] and,
WHEREAS, several states already require biomarker testing coverage for all state-regulated plans, including Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Texas;[11] and,
WHEREAS, other states only require biomarker testing coverage for some state-regulated plans, namely: private plans in Arkansas and Louisiana; Medicaid (or HUSKY Health) in Connecticut; Medicaid (or SMMC, MMA and LTC) and the state employee health plan in Florida; and large employer health plans in Colorado.[12]
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL) recommits to dismantling barriers to care for Hispanic/Latino people that limit access to lifesaving cancer screenings and treatment and improve cancer outcomes in the community; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NHCSL renews its call that state legislatures “approve rules and/or enact legislation to ensure equal, fairly priced access to biomarker testing and precision medicine,” specifically by requiring all state-regulated plans, including Medicaid, to cover biomarker testing that allows providers to identify the most effective treatment for a patient’s condition, including but not limited to cancer;[13] and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that, to address the disparities in prostate cancer outcomes attributable to income, and in addition to the recommendations of Resolution 2018-26, NHCSL encourages state legislatures to enact policies that dismantle access barriers to preventive prostate cancer screenings by waiving co-pay fees that impede access; and,
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that NHCSL encourages state legislatures to promote linguistically and culturally-appropriate education and outreach, including through promotores(as), or community health workers (CHWs), to encourage timely screenings for breast, prostate, melanoma and colorectal cancer that address language barriers by issuing critical information in Spanish.
IN ITS MEETING OF MARCH 28, 2025, THE NHCSL HEALTHCARE TASK FORCE UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDED THIS RESOLUTION TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FOR APPROVAL.
THE NHCSL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED THIS RESOLUTION ON APRIL 4, 2025, AT ITS MEETING IN WASHINGTON, DC.
THE NATIONAL HISPANIC CAUCUS OF STATE LEGISLATORS UNANIMOUSLY RATIFIED THIS RESOLUTION AT ITS ANNUAL MEETING OF NOVEMBER 22, 2025, IN OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA.
[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics. Leading Causes of Death. Last Reviewed: October 25, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm
[2] National Cancer Institute. Cancer Disparities. January 31, 2025. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/disparities
[3] Cleo A. Samuel, Olive M. Mbah, Wendi Elkins. Calidad de Vida: a systematic review of quality of life in Latino cancer survivors in the U.S. October 1, 2021. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8285081/
[4] American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures for Hispanic/Latino People 2024-2026. https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/cancer-facts-and-figures-for-hispanics-and-latinos/2024/2024-2026-cancer-facts-and-figures-for-hispanics-and-latinos.pdf
[5] Jingxuan Zhao MPH, Xuesong Han PhD, Leticia Nogueira MPH, PhD. Health insurance status and cancer stage at diagnosis and survival in the United States. July 13, 2022. https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.3322/caac.21732
[6] Cleo A. Samuel, Olive M. Mbah, Wendi Elkins. Calidad de Vida: a systematic review of quality of life in Latino cancer survivors in the U.S. October 1, 2021. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8285081/
[7] Assistant Secretary of Planning and Evaluation Office of Health Policy. Health Insurance Coverage and Access to Care Among Latino Americans: Recent Trends and Key Challenges. June 7, 2024. https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/819559944370d2e8a24dc5bc38da6c7b/aspe-coverage-access-latinos-ib.pdf
[8] American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. Health Equity in Biomarker Testing and Targeted Therapy. May 2021.https://fightcancer.org/sites/default/files/docs/fs_health_equity_in_bmt_and_targeted_therapy_final.pdf
[9] For information on how certain co-pay requirements impede access to prostate cancer screenings see: ZERO Prostate Cancer. Overview of the PSA Screening for HIM Act. February 26-28, 2023. https://zerocancer.org/sites/default/files/2023-08/2023-PSA-for-HIM-Backgrounder.docx.pdf; and see American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. Survivor Views Survey: Majority Less Likely to Get Recommended Screenings if Coverage Was Lost. May 11, 2023. https://www.fightcancer.org/policy-resources/survivor-views-majority-less-likely-get-recommended-screenings-if-coverage-lost
[10] Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Understanding Cost & Coverage Issues with Diagnostic Breast Imaging. January 2019. https://www.komen.org/wp-content/uploads/komen-understanding-cost-coverage-with-dbi-final-report.pdf
[11] American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. Access to Biomarker Testing. Last Updated: July 2024. https://www.fightcancer.org/what-we-do/access-biomarker-testing
[12] Colorado’s law mandates individual and small group plan coverage it only if it is determined that no state defrayal is necessary under the Affordable Care Act.
[13] For sample bills see: Georgia HB 85 (2023) or Maryland HB 1217 (2023).