Annapolis, MD | PRWeb | June 20, 2013 – Preventing Colorectal Cancer (PCC) announces the release of another issue brief in its ongoing series that underscores the importance of increasing U.S. colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates, and the obstacles and opportunities that influence efforts to achieve this goal. Issue Brief #5, The Impact of Health Insurance Reform on Colorectal Cancer, examines how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) expands Americans’ access to health care procedures such as colorectal cancer screening, which will lead to more people undergoing routine screening for colorectal cancer. The brief also is designed to help patients navigate the sometimes murky waters of recent health insurance reform.
PCC launched the Issue Brief series to educate key stakeholders on the importance of increasing screening rates among the population. For example, physicians, patients, payors, public policy experts, and others are constantly weighing the clinical efficacy of a procedure or a treatment with the cost.
“A cancer prevented is better than a cancer cured,” says Dr. Steven J. Morris, MD, FACP, PCC board chair and president, Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates. “PPACA’s expansion of coverage guarantees that most adults who are uninsured and are between the ages of 50 and 65 will have access to affordable screening.”
Issue Brief #5 looks specifically at the potential drivers of increased CRC screening rates, including PPACA’s mission to expand health care coverage to millions of Americans, a provision that requires all self-funded and commercial health insurance policies to cover CRC screening tests at no out-of-pocket cost to the consumer, and the fact that polyp removal during a screening is now a covered benefit and not an expense the patient has to cover.
Previous Issue Briefs in the series can be found here. Topics include:
- Colonoscopies Prevent Colon Cancer
- Preventing Colorectal Cancer: The Benefit of Propofol
- Health Insurers Should Cover Propofol Sedation
- Why We Need Pricing Transparency
Future briefs will highlight effective strategies for increasing screening guideline adherence, sustaining and improving screening results, and new technologies which will impact quality of care.
PCC hopes the new Issue Brief series will save lives by providing the information and guidance needed to educate the public, policymakers and other key stakeholders regarding colorectal cancer screening coverage, and, if necessary, polyp removal.
Other briefs scheduled for release in coming months will cover:
- Screening as a prevention technique
- Sedation options
- Why the issue of transparency in medical pricing matters so much to CRC screening
- Safety concerns
- Legislation impacting quality of care
- Sustaining and improving screening rates
Those interested may visit www.preventingcolorectalcancer.org to sign up to receive the issue briefs as they become available via email. The website also contains other valuable resources and information on CRC and prevention efforts.
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About Preventing Colorectal Cancer (www.preventingcolorectalcancer.org)
Headquartered in Annapolis, MD, Preventing Colorectal Cancer (PCC) preserves the tradition of safe, comfortable and quality-based medicine. PCC is a not-for-profit 501(c) 6 advocacy organization with the primary mission to educate both public and private stakeholders about the opportunities to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer through promoting effective screening, prevention and care options for patients. Membership is open to all individuals and groups.