Independence Blue Cross now covers and recommends preventive colorectal cancer screening for members beginning at age 45, the company said Sept. 13 in an email release.
"If people are screened earlier, more cancers will be prevented, and more lives will be saved," said Richard Snyder, MD, Independence's chief medical officer and executive vice president of facilitated health networks.
A peer-reviewed study in JAMA Network Open found Black men and women more vulnerable to colorectal cancer than their white counterparts, with Black men the most vulnerable group in the U.S.
The lowered minimum age aligns with May 2021 updates to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines.