The Ambulatory Surgery Center Association has announced its support for a new bill that could ensure all colorectal cancer screenings for Medicare beneficiaries are covered, according to a news release.
The Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2012, introduced by Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.), calls for the waiving of the co-payment for a screening colonoscopy regardless of whether a polyp or lesion is found. Under the federal healthcare reform law, Medicare waives the coinsurance and deductible for colonoscopies — unless a polyp is found and removed, which reclassifies the screening as a therapeutic procedure and requires a co-payment.
Since there is no way to know in advance of a screening whether a polyp will be discovered, such uncertainty as to whether a patient will need to pay a co-payment may dissuade patients from undergoing the screening.
"Colonoscopies save lives — with recent studies indicating they reduce colorectal cancer by mortality by as much as 53 percent," said ASCA Executive Director William Prentice, in the release. "ASCs serve as a vital provider of these life-saving screenings and we applaud Congressman Dent's efforts in ensuring more Americans have affordable access."
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