COLUMBUS, Ohio — While October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and several priorities are centered around the cause, there’s also a push at the Ohio Statehouse to help more men get tested for prostate cancer.

The bipartisan legislation is looking to force insurance companies to cover the costs of prostate-related health screenings. The bill was introduced before summer break and was assigned to a committee.

What You Need To Know

  • Men should start getting screened for prostate cancer between 50 and 55, and if they have a family history of prostate cancer, screening should begin around age 40

  • Many men do not have symptoms, and a health screening can determine if the cancer is prevalent

  • House bill 550 was introduced ahead of the summer break

Tom Pamer is a prostate cancer survivor. He found out about his cancer in 2017 during a routine checkup. The cancer was found after a simple blood test called a prostate specific antigen test.

Pamer says the months to follow were filled with anxiety. His entire life revolves around family, which consists of his wife and son, who at the time was only 7-years-old.

"You hear the words you have cancer," Pamer said. "And, you have a young family. That's your initial thought. What's going to happen here? You know, but we got through it together."

Pamer said due to the cancer being detected in its early stages, he did not have to undergo chemotherapy. However, he did have his prostate gland removed in a surgery, and now he is cancer free.

"If we don't catch prostate cancer early, it can lead to devastating consequences for that person," said State Rep. Dontavius Jarrells, D-Columbus.

Jarrells is teaming up with Republican Mark Johnson to propose a bill that would require health insurers to cover preventive screenings for men at high-risk for developing prostate cancer. Jarrells says cancer is not a partisan issue, and everyone deserves to live a healthy life without facing financial burdens. He says a PSA test could cost anywhere between $100 to $300 for people who do not have insurance coverage.

"We want to make sure that we are providing all of the evidence-based tools available in identifying prostate cancer in a way so that those individuals are able to use them without having to impact their pockets," Jarrells said.

"When we think about the statistics for prostate cancer in Ohio," said Leo Almeida, the Ohio director of government relations of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, "so in 2024, it's estimated that 10,000 Ohioans will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Unfortunately, it's estimated that 1,250 of those Ohioans will die from prostate cancer this year."

Pamer says reducing the financial burden of the screenings would be a big weight off many people’s shoulders already dealing with a lot mentally.

"It's a nice way to help people through one of the roughest processes that they have to go through in their life," Pamer said.