A new bill prefiled for Alabama’s 2026 Legislative Session would require insurance companies to cover prostate cancer screenings without deductibles, copayments or other cost-sharing requirements for both high-risk and older men.
Alabama law already requires state-regulated health insurance plans to provide coverage for annual prostate screenings for men over the age of 40, but Senate Bill 19–recently introduced by state Senator Steve Livingston, R-Scottsboro–would update that law to remove all out-of-pocket costs associated with such screenings for men over the age of 50, African American men, and men with a first degree relative who has had prostate cancer.
Several patient advocacy groups, including the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, ACS CAN, and ZERO Prostate Cancer, applauded Livingston’s introduction of SB19 as a step toward improving prostate cancer treatment in Alabama.
“This bill would make Alabama a nationwide leader in helping to reduce the cancer burden,” said Jane Adams, government relations director for ACS CAN in Alabama. “People at high risk for prostate cancer should be able to access impactful screenings without the threat of extra costs. We are grateful to Sen. Livingston for filing this bill again and urge lawmakers to get it over the finish line in 2026.”
“ZERO is deeply grateful for Senator Livingston’s unwavering advocacy on behalf of his constituent, David, and for his leadership in driving this critical effort forward,” added Courtney Bugler, president and CEO of ZERO Prostate Cancer. “We also thank Senator Livingston and Representative Gray for championing the reintroduction of this vital legislation. Now we urge Alabama lawmakers to stand with men and families who need them most by ensuring its passage next year.”
Outside of skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the U.S. The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly 5,500 Alabamians will receive a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2025, with the high-risk groups outlined in SB19 being more likely to receive those diagnoses.
While prostate cancer can be fatal, the vast majority of men who receive a diagnosis will not die from prostate cancer, due in large part to the kinds of early detection measures promoted in Livingston’s bill.
Livingston previously sponsored SB19 as Senate Bill 190 during the 2025 legislative session. That bill passed out of the Senate but ultimately failed to make it to the governor’s desk. The bill’s companion legislation in the House also failed to pass into law last session, prompting Representative Jeremy Gray, D-Opelika, to reintroduce that bill–now House Bill 40–for the 2026 session as well.
SB19 will go to the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee while HB40 will go to the House Insurance Committee at the start of next year’s session.
