ADVOCACY SPOTLIGHT


Join the Fight Against Colorectal Cancer Help raise awareness and advocate for preventive care BY JEFF EVANS


March is National Colorec- tal Cancer Awareness Month and an opportunity to edu- cate your community about the importance of colorec-


tal cancer (CRC) screening. This month also is a good time to join with ASCA in national advocacy efforts aimed at pro- moting enhanced access to CRC screen- ings and the life-saving benefits these procedures provide. Under current law, Medicare waives coinsurance and deductibles for colo- noscopies. When a polyp is discov- ered and removed, however, the proce- dure 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 Colorec- tal Cancer Screening Act (H.R. 1017/S. 479)—introduced by US Representa- tives Charlie Dent (R-Pennsylvania) and Donald Payne, Jr. (D-New Jer- sey), backed by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)—would eliminate these unexpected costs for Medicare ben- eficiaries 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 co- sponsors 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 sav- ing lives, this legislation could easily save


the health care system thousands of dollars by decreasing CRC treatment expenses. The Patient Protection and Afford-


able Care Act already requires private insurance companies to cover colonos- copies 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 at dkaster@ascassociation.org. For more information on CRC screening and the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act, write Jeff Evans at jevans@ascassociation.org.


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


22 ASC FOCUS MARCH 2018 | www.ascfocus.org


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