Here’s what you need to know:
1. Under the Affordable Care Act, colonoscopies for screening colorectal cancer are covered by Medicare; however, if the removal of tissue or other therapeutic procedures are necessary, the patient is responsible for coinsurance payments.
2. U.S. Representative Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) and U.S. Representative Donald Payne Jr. (D-N.J.) have introduced the “Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act” (H.R.1220), which would waive coinsurance for colorectal cancer screening tests, regardless of other procedures done during the clinical encounter.
3. The bill has the support of 238 members in the U.S. House of Representatives, which is the majority.
4. The bill’s sponsors are asking House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to schedule a vote on the bill.
More articles on gastroenterology and endoscopy:
What is the future of colorectal cancer screening? Still colonoscopy, says Dr. David A. Johnson
US Representative Donald M. Payne Jr. introduces bill to expand CRC screening coverage: 4 notes
Costs, benefits of virtual colonoscopy: Q&A with Dr. John C. Fang of University of Utah School of Medicine
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