Media Contact: Patrick Wright -- Patrick.Wright@mail.house.gov
Washington, D.C. — Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. introduced The Donald Payne Sr. Colorectal Cancer Detection Act today. The bill would require Medicare to cover FDA-approved blood-based screening tests to help Americans determine whether they are at risk for colorectal cancer. These tests would allow people to understand their risk before they schedule a more invasive colonoscopy, the most accurate colorectal cancer screening test. The bill has 46 co-sponsors.
“We need to get more people tested for colorectal cancer because it has one of the highest recovery rates when detected early,” said Rep. Payne, Jr. “Many people do not want to schedule a colonoscopy because they fear the process or worry about how to pay for it, even though it is covered with private and public health insurance. Right now, there are Americans dying from the disease that we could save, if they get tested early. Blood-based tests are easier to obtain and would increase the number of people tested every year. I lost my father, Donald M. Payne, Sr. to colorectal cancer almost ten years ago. I want to make sure more families do not lose their fathers and loved ones to this dreaded disease.”
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most deadly cancer in the United States, yet proper screening tests can reduce deaths by 60 percent. More than 30 percent of eligible Americans do not get regular colorectal cancer screenings, which means they are more likely to get the disease and die from it. The risk is even higher in minority and rural communities. African Americans are 40 percent more likely to die from CRC than other populations. In addition, only 40 percent of Americans between the ages of 50 and 75 in non-metropolitan areas do not receive CRC screenings. Rep. Payne, Jr.’s bill would allow these communities to have an alternative form of colorectal cancer screening that is less expensive and more readily available to get them tested sooner and more frequently.
Original source can be found here.
