PUBLISHED
Sept 30, 2026
FOR
Employers
FORMAT
One-page PDF
Why it matters
Coverage is a start. Plan design decides.
Genomic testing happens at diagnosis, where treatment decisions are made. Tennessee’s new law expands coverage on January 1, but self-funded plans still decide for themselves, and coverage doesn’t mean patients get tested.
That’s an implementation gap employers can close. MACC attended HealthCareTN’s Accelerating Employer Impact in Tennessee meeting in Memphis on September 23 and wrote up what employers need to know.
SUPPORTED BY
PART OF
What we heard
1
Cancer benefits get their own conversation
Employers are looking at cancer care’s gaps end to end, from screening and diagnosis through treatment and survivorship.
2
Self-funded employers own the decision
Chronic disease was framed as a workforce issue employers can’t ignore, and their plan design shapes what employees can get.
3
A benefit only works if it’s used
Employees have to understand a benefit, trust it and know how to use it, or good plan design doesn’t reach them.
Source: HealthCareTN, Accelerating Employer Impact in Tennessee meeting agenda, Memphis, TN, September 23, 2026. Interpretation by MACC, a program of the Alliance for Health Implementation Science.
Read the field notes.
One page, free to share. #TestBeforeTreatment