The Promising Pathways Act (SB 1552)

Original title: Experimental Treatments for Terminal Conditions and Life-threatening Rare Diseases

March 13, 2026

Companion · HB 1381same policy, House version

healthcare experimental medicine patient rights insurance medical regulation

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

The Frame

What this does

The bill would have allowed eligible patients to access experimental drugs or devices while setting specific reimbursement rates and price concessions, though it died in committee and did not become law.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Patients with terminal or rare conditions

The bill would have established their eligibility criteria and informed consent requirements for accessing experimental treatments.

Licensed physicians

The bill would have authorized them to prescribe experimental treatments and provided protection against licensing board actions for doing so.

Health insurers and HMOs

The bill would have prohibited them from denying coverage solely based on the experimental status of a treatment.

Experimental treatment manufacturers

The bill would have required them to provide temporary price concessions and established liability limitations.

What changed

Last recorded activity March 13, 2026.

What's next

Introduced.

Summary

This bill would have created a state-regulated pathway for patients with terminal or rare, life-threatening conditions to access experimental treatments not yet approved by the FDA. It established requirements for patient eligibility, facility oversight, and a state-run registry to track treatment outcomes.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Would this bill have guaranteed insurance coverage for experimental treatments?

No. The bill encouraged insurers to provide coverage and prohibited them from denying it solely because a treatment is experimental, but it explicitly stated it did not require coverage or expand existing insurance mandates.

Who would have been eligible for these treatments?

Patients with a terminal condition (expected death within 1 year) or a rare life-threatening disease (affecting fewer than 200,000 people) who have exhausted all FDA-approved treatment options.

What happens if a patient dies while using an experimental treatment?

The bill stated that the patient's heirs would not be liable for any outstanding debt related to the use of the treatment.