ForEm Foundation
ForEm
Foundation
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Two fights. One goal: prevent the next avoidable cancer death.
“As shepherds of our communities, we must not only preach about dignity and life; we must protect it. This moment demands more than prayer; it demands action.”
— Archbishop Philip Anyolo,
Archbishop of Nairobi
The Emily Depke Cancer Biomarker Initiative
Understanding the role and timing of cancer biomarker testing.
The Emily Depke Cancer Biomarker Initiative is currently under medical and policy review. ForEm is researching how biomarker testing is used when cancer recurs or progresses and when results may meaningfully inform treatment or clinical-trial decisions. We will follow the evidence before recommending specific policy changes.
Kentucky already requires health benefit plans subject to KRS 304.17A-263 to cover qualifying biomarker testing when supported by specified medical and scientific evidence. HB 180, enacted in 2023 and effective January 1, 2024, addressed an important barrier: insurance coverage for qualifying biomarker testing.
Emily’s experience raised a question ForEm is now investigating:
When cancer recurs or progresses, how and when are decisions about biomarker testing made — and what helps ensure clinically indicated results are available when they could meaningfully inform treatment or clinical-trial decisions?
ForEm is working to understand what happens between insurance coverage and treatment decisions: when biomarker testing is considered, when it is clinically appropriate, how results are incorporated into care, and whether patients encounter barriers to testing or appropriate follow-up.
Appropriate biomarker testing and treatment differ from patient to patient. Any future proposal from ForEm will preserve individualized medical judgment and will be informed by clinicians, researchers, patients and policymakers.
HB 180 was sponsored by Rep. Kim Moser and a bipartisan group of Kentucky legislators. ForEm has reached out to Rep. Moser’s office as part of our effort to better understand Kentucky’s existing biomarker-testing policy and the questions that remain.
25 states now require insurance coverage of biomarker testing — including Kentucky.
ForEm's goal is to help Kentucky continue the conversation about what comes after coverage — ensuring clinically indicated biomarker information can meaningfully inform treatment decisions.
PREVENT HPV
Cancers Act
The PREVENT HPV Cancers Act of 2025 (H.R. 6561) is federal legislation focused on preventing HPV-associated cancers through public education, vaccination awareness, screening and research. An earlier version passed the U.S. House in 2021 but did not become law. The legislation was introduced again on December 10, 2025, and referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
HPV causes six types of cancer, and nearly 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with an HPV-associated cancer each year.
Want to learn more or share your views? Read about the legislation, then use the links below to find your members of Congress and their official contact pages.