Here are five of the latest government updates affecting the field of gastroenterology, as reported by Becker's since March 6:
1. After being passed in the Illinois House of Representatives, the Illinois Senate unanimously passed a bill that will require insurance companies in the state to cover all colonoscopies deemed medically necessary. The Senate made a slight amendment to the bill, changing the effective date from 2025 to 2026. As a result, the bill is going back to the House for an additional vote.
2. Life sciences company Geneoscopy received FDA approval for its noninvasive colorectal cancer screening test. ColoSense is the first noninvasive colorectal cancer screening test to offer a view of disease activity through RNA biomarkers.
3. Ambu earned FDA clearance for its aScope Gastro Large and Ambu aBox 2, a gastroscope designed for acute therapeutic procedures in the ICU.
4. The White House declared March as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month to recognize cancer survivors, caregivers and their loved ones and raise awareness about the growing rates of CRC.
5. Pennsylvania state Reps. Pat Gallagher, Tarik Khan and Perry Warren are planning to introduce legislation that would update the state's Insurance Company Law to change the age when colorectal cancer screenings are covered from 50 to 45, to be in line with the American Cancer Society's recommended age of 45 for when people of average risk should begin screening for colorectal cancer.