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Colorectal Cancer Screening Saves Lives

Most States Fail to Require Insurance Coverage of Preventive Tests

(ARA) – Colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer. The disease generally develops in the colon over five to 10 years as growths, or polyps, become cancerous. Colonoscopy, currently the most effective method for colorectal cancer screening, allows doctors to detect and remove polyps. It is estimated that the United States could save $191 million dollars in medical costs annually if Americans underwent colon cancer screening as recommended. 

Unfortunately, research shows that significant barriers such as a lack of insurance coverage deter Americans from being screened for colorectal cancer. Approximately 41 million Americans who should be tested for colorectal cancer have not yet undergone screening. Available preventive tests make colorectal cancer highly preventable and treatable, yet the disease remains the second leading cancer killer. 

Concern about how to pay for colorectal cancer screening shouldn’t stand in the way of saving a life - - but unfortunately it can. “We believe that colorectal cancer screening merits a higher priority on our nation’s public health agenda,” said Bernard Levin, M.D., chair of the American Gastroenterological Association’s Public Affairs and Advocacy Committee. “Persuading more states to pass preventive screening legislation has the potential to save thousands of lives and billions of dollars spent annually to treat advanced colorectal cancer.”

Insurance barriers to colorectal cancer screening have and continue to be tackled in state legislatures across the country. According to a new report, 17 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation requiring insurance to pay for colorectal cancer screening. However, far more states have laws that guarantee coverage of preventive tests for cancers with lower death rates. Guaranteed insurance coverage laws exist in 47 states for breast cancer, 26 states for prostate cancer, and 23 states for cervical cancer, despite the fact that each type of cancer claims fewer lives annually than colorectal cancer. 

The 2005 Colorectal Cancer Legislation Report Card gave passing grades to California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, the District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming. Consumers who live in the 33 states that received failing grades (D-F) can go to the Report Card Web site at www.eif.nccra.org to obtain insurance resources and to contact their state legislators. 

The National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance, co-founded by journalist Katie Couric and the Entertainment Industry Foundation, and American Gastroenterological Association developed the Report Card in collaboration with leading medical societies and patient advocacy groups, including the American College of Gastroenterology, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation, Colon Cancer Alliance, Hadassah and STOP Colon/Rectal Cancer Foundation.

For more information on colorectal cancer, please visit www.eif.nccra.org

Courtesy of ARA Content

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