Long-Term Care Insurance Program for Federal Employees Will No Longer Deny Coverage for People with Certain Skin Cancers

The Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program will not deny coverage to individuals diagnosed or treated for basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, Office of Personnel Management officials said, the Washington Post reports. OPM officials said that the program -- which provides coverage for nursing home care, assisted living, adult day care and other long-term care services to federal employees, military personnel, retirees and others -- has issued a revised version of the "full underwriting application" to clarify one of six medical questions that determine whether an individual qualifies for coverage. The original question said that individuals who have had cancer in the past two years would not qualify for coverage under the program. However, according to the revised question, individuals who have had basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer in the past two years may qualify for coverage. OPM officials, who attributed the language in the original question to an error, said that the exemptions for basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer will allow more individuals to qualify for coverage under the program. However, the program will not provide coverage to individuals with other cancers, such as melanoma, the Post reports. Each year, doctors diagnose more than one million Americans will basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, and the "vast majority are successfully treated," according to the American Cancer Society (Barr, Washington Post, 8/6).