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New Bills Introduced in Congress to End Medicare Colonoscopy Loophole

March 1, 2017

Earlier today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown introduced legislation to finally close the colonoscopy loophole in Medicaid. Similar legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative Charlie Dent last month.

Under Medicare, there should be no co-pay cost-sharing for a screening colonoscopy.  However, if a polyp is found during a screening colonoscopy then seniors on Medicare face a surprise bill.  This can result in patients being charged hundreds of dollars for what was supposed to be a free cancer screening.  For many people, the threat of an unexpected charge scares them away from getting the screening altogether.

Last year, ACS CAN succeeded in convincing 289 Representatives in the House and 39 Senators to cosponsor this legislation.  Unfortunately, it never came up for a vote.  That means we need to start over again this year.

We're already working to convince those Members of Congress - and all lawmakers - to sponsor this year's bills in the hopes of getting a vote later in the year.

You can help celebrate Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month by asking your Members of Congress to cosponsor this year's legislation. 

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