March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and an opportunity to educate your community about the importance of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. This month also is a good time to join with ASCA in national advocacy efforts aimed at promoting enhanced access to CRC screenings and the life-saving benefits these procedures provide.

Under current law, Medicare waives coinsurance and deductibles for colonoscopies. When a polyp is discovered and removed, however, the procedure is reclassified as “therapeutic” for Medicare billing purposes and patients are required to pay the coinsurance. This reclassification could discourage patients from accessing the preventive care they need.

The Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act (H.R. 1017/S. 479)—introduced by US Representatives Charlie Dent (R-Pennsylvania) and Donald Payne, Jr. (D-New Jersey), backed by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)—would eliminate these unexpected costs for Medicare beneficiaries when a polyp is discovered and removed. The bills have garnered broad bipartisan support in Congress, with more than 230 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives and 40 cosponsors in the Senate.

In 2010, CRC treatment cost Medicare more than $9 billion and cost a total of more than $14 billion. In addition to saving lives, this legislation could easily save the health care system thousands of dollars by decreasing CRC treatment expenses.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act already requires private insurance companies to cover colonoscopies as preventive care. ASCA urges Medicare to provide the same benefit.

Get Involved

Participate in National Advocacy Day events in June and September this year. For more information, write Danielle Kaster.

For more information on CRC screening and the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act, write Jeff Evans.

Jeff Evans is ASCA’s assistant director of government affairs, legislative affairs. Write him at jevans@ascassociation.org.