Several leaders have stepped up to fight for colonoscopy policy reform.
In January, 45 members of Congress, led by Rep. Debbie Dingell, authored a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services urging federal agencies to expand access to colorectal cancer screenings by ensuring surveillance colonoscopies are covered as preventive services.
This letter was a follow-up to a letter that was sent to HHS in December authored by 90 medical societies and patient advocacy groups.
Congress members and advocacy groups aren't the only ones seeking to reform colonoscopy policies.
In February, Nebraska Sen. Carol Blood proposed a bill stating that patients with insurance would not be subject to additional costs for medical services associated with a colonoscopy, such as a polyp removal. This bill has since passed the first of three rounds of voting.