The following letter to the editor was published in The Columbian regarding ACS CAN's effort to close the colorectal cancer screening loophole for Medicare recipients.
By Jennifer Kampsula Wong, Vancouver
Published: April 17, 2017, 6:00 AM
Colorectal cancer is preventable if caught early, so routine colonoscopies are critical for everyone starting at age 50. Skipping recommended screenings could mean a patient receives a later-stage colorectal cancer diagnosis, which can be more expensive to treat and reduces the odds the patient will survive.
Colon cancer runs in my family, so I started screenings at 32. Recently, a precancerous polyp was removed during a routine colonoscopy. Thanks to early screening, I won’t fight colon cancer like my grandmother, great grandmother and two great aunts.
Currently Medicare, like private insurance, fully pays for routine colonoscopies for the purpose of screening. But, unlike private insurance, if a polyp is found and removed during the procedure, the colonoscopy is categorized as diagnostic exam, and the Medicare patient must pay a share of the cost. This Medicare loophole can leave patients with a surprise bill up to $300.
As an American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network volunteer advocate, I’m grateful to Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler for co-sponsoring the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act again. This bipartisan legislation fixes a Medicare glitch that eliminates surprise costs during routine colonoscopies. Thanks to Herrera Beutler for standing up for seniors’ health.
