The Colorado Cancer Coalition and the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network are working to advance a bill to lower the colonoscopy screening age from 50 to 45 in the state, The Gazette reports.
The bill would force insurers to cover screening tests beginning at 45, rather than 50. It would also require insurers to cover follow-up care for high-risk individuals. The bill is currently in the House Health and Insurance Committee. It has its first hearing Jan. 29.
National advocacy groups are at a crossroads concerning CRC screening. The American Cancer Society recommended lowering the CRC screening age to 45 in October 2018, but other groups have not followed their recommendation. This is the first piece of state-backed legislation to lower the screening age that was not already aligned with the ACS' guidelines.