Health insurance; require certain policies to provide coverage for physician-prescribed proton beam therapy.

HB 42 requires all individual and group health insurance plans, nonprofit contracts, HMOs, and self-insured arrangements in Mississippi to cover physician-prescribed proton beam therapy for cancer treatment, as recommended by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). This applies to all residents with qualifying health coverage and specifically mandates the State and School Employees Health Insurance Plan to include this coverage. The bill’s key provision is the mandatory inclusion of this specific cancer treatment in insurance benefits, effective July 1, 2025, without requiring prior authorization beyond ASTRO guidelines. It does not alter cost-sharing or create new funding mechanisms, focusing solely on expanding coverage for this treatment option.