Cherfilus-McCormick proposes legislation to broaden cardiovascular testing coverage

U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has sponsored a bill in the U.S. House designed to enhance early identification of cardiovascular threats by expanding insurance coverage for cardiovascular screenings, the U.S. Congress reports.

Introduced as H.R.8260 on April 14, 2026, during the 119th Congress’s regular session, the following summary is compiled from the official bill documentation and contains clarified explanations of its main provisions.

H.R.8260 seeks to change the Public Health Service Act and the Social Security Act to require that group health plans, Medicare, Medicaid, and individual health insurance cover certain cardiovascular assessments – notably, lipoprotein(a) and apolipoprotein B – without cost sharing for patients. The bill emphasizes how these specific tests can help identify cardiovascular risk, especially in people who have a personal or family history of related diseases that may not be fully identified through traditional cholesterol testing. The changes are scheduled to take effect 180 days post-enactment, providing time to coordinate implementation with health plan cycles.

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (Democrat-FL-20th District) is the sole sponsor of this legislative proposal.

So far in the current session, Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick has put forward a total of 16 pieces of legislation.

Most bills in Congress start in either the House of Representatives or the Senate, with the exception of measures involving revenue, which must originate in the House. Introduced bills are assigned to committees, where members hold reviews, hearings, amendments and debates, which must conclude before legislation can be voted upon in both legislative chambers. Both chambers must pass an identical version before the bill is sent to the president for signature or veto. The U.S. Congress works on a two-year schedule, numbered sequentially and divided into annual sessions. Legislative proceedings and bill histories are maintained and released by the U.S. Congress at Congress.gov.

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was elected Democratic U.S. Representative from Florida following a special election in the 117th Congress to fill the seat after the death of Alcee Lamar Hastings. Her academic background includes a B.A. from Howard University (2001) and a J.D. from St. Thomas University School of Law (2010), along with time spent at the University of Maryland Global Campus from 2005 to 2007.

This report is based on documents from the U.S. Congress. The primary source can be viewed here.