Feb. 20, 2026, 3:56 pm ET
- Massachusetts Reps. Jim McGovern and Ayanna Pressley, along with Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, filed the bill on Feb. 17.
- The bill would allow Medicare to cover wigs for people affected by conditions like alopecia or patients undergoing chemotherapy.
- Pressley has spoken out about her experience with hair loss from Alopecia, which is an auto-immune disease that attacks hair follicles.
A group of New England Democrats have reintroduced a bill to cover wigs under Medicare for people affected by conditions like alopecia or patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Massachusetts Reps. Jim McGovern and Ayanna Pressley, along with Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, filed the bill on Feb. 17.
According to a press release, while many private insurance plans cover wigs for these purposes, Medicare does not. Wigs can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, making them prohibitively expensive for some people. The bill would allow Medicare to cover wigs “as part of a proposed course of rehabilitative treatment or for hair loss caused by a health condition, including autoimmune diseases, cancer, or chemotherapy.”
Pressley has spoken out about her experience with hair loss from alopecia, which is an autoimmune disease that attacks hair follicles.
In the press release, she said she knows “what it feels like to endure a vulnerable transformation not of my choosing.”
“For many impacted by medical hair loss, unaffordable and inaccessible wigs can deepen an already significant mental and physical burden,” Pressley said. “Those experiencing medical hair loss deserve to step into their own beauty and power, and I’m proud to reintroduce this bill with Congressman McGovern and Senator Blumenthal to expand coverage for wigs, relieve financial barriers, and support dignity for all.”
In 2021, McGovern said that he supports the issue because of a cancer diagnosis in his family.
The bill has been introduced at least two other times since 2020, but has not yet passed into law.
