As a cancer survivor, I can tell you the words “you have cancer” are life-changing. But thanks to better access to care, many more people are not only surviving this disease in 2018, they are thriving.
Not only have we discovered better, more effective treatments in the last few decades, but we’ve come so far in preventing the disease in the first place. Colonoscopies can do just that, by removing precancerous polyps before they turn into cancer. Unfortunately, while screening rates have improved, barriers still exist keeping individuals from getting recommended colonoscopies.
One such barrier that actually has an easy fix relates to a surprise cost that seniors on Medicare can face when receiving a colonoscopy. Unlike individuals with private insurance plans, seniors can wake up to an unexpected bill if a polyp is found and removed during a routine colonoscopy. This was a mistake and was never intended to fall on the backs of our seniors. But Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., can help fix this glitch by co-sponsoring the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act.
This bipartisan legislation in Congress is an easy way for Sen. McCaskill to stand up for the health of our seniors. Not only will her support help save lives from cancer, it will save health care dollars that would otherwise have been spent on treatment down the road.
This legislation matters to me because I have heard those three life-changing words and I have lost family members to colorectal cancer. I have watched friends and family fight a disease that could have been prevented by just getting a colonoscopy. We need to make it possible for seniors to receive a disease-preventing colonoscopy without the fear of unexpected financial burdens if a polyp is found. It’s the right thing to do.
Keith Whittemore • St. Louis County
Volunteer, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
