BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM
When Maureen Green was diagnosed with breast cancer, one of her major concerns was losing her hair. “I was really afraid I would look in the mirror and really not know who I was,” she said. At Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, she decided to try scalp cooling, a method to reduce chemotherapy-related hair loss, despite the hefty price tag.
Scalp cooling, also known as cold capping, can cost between $1,500 and $5,000 per patient, according to the National Cancer Institute. It’s often not covered by insurance, leaving patients like Green to make difficult decisions in the midst of treatment. “You could buy a wig, you could buy scarves,” she said. “But nothing is the same as looking like yourself.”
A legislative first in New York
Well, that’s about to change. Starting on January 1st, 2026, New York will become the first U.S. state to mandate private insurers to cover scalp cooling treatments for chemotherapy patients. The new law is the result of six years of work by Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal and State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky.
Rosenthal recalled, “I heard about scalp cooling, and I said, ‘Well, why shouldn’t everyone have access to it?’” She added that pushing for new insurance coverage is never easy, but making life easier for cancer patients is “worth everything.”
Why hair matters during cancer care
While some might see hair loss as a cosmetic issue, those in cancer care understand its emotional weight. Andrea Smith, a nurse leader at Memorial Sloan Kettering, explained, “Having legislation that requires insurance to pay for it — that’s a game changer.”
Smith acknowledged that scalp cooling can cause side effects like headaches or nausea, but the benefit is psychological. “We’ve seen patients choose a less optimal treatment just because they didn’t want to lose their hair,” she said. That, she added, shows how critical this option is for many patients.
How cold capping works
Scalp cooling lowers the temperature of the scalp before and during chemotherapy. This slows the activity of hair follicle cells and reduces blood flow to the scalp, limiting how much chemotherapy reaches the follicles. The FDA has cleared several devices for this use, and some studies report success rates as high as 65 percent.
Though it doesn’t guarantee hair preservation, it offers a chance. For patients like Green, that can mean everything. “With everything else that’s going on, this gave me some control over something I didn’t have control over before,” she said.
A future with fewer trade-offs
The new law is a promising step toward more compassionate, equitable care for cancer patients. By removing financial barriers, New York is giving patients a little more control and comfort during one of the most vulnerable times in their lives.
