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Imagine saving 40,000 lives this year Congress introduced a bill to do just that.
In recognition of Colon Cancer Awareness Month, the "Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Early Detection and Treatment Act" (H.R. 1189) was introduced in the House of Representatives. As in the 110th Congress, this bill is being championed by Representatives Kay Granger and Patrick Kennedy.
Fact: More than 30,000 lives could be saved each year if all Americans were screened for colon cancer.
Fact: When diagnosed early, colon cancer has a five-year survival rate of 90%.
Fact: When diagnosed late, allowing cancer to spread to distant organs, the five-year survival rate is only 10%.
Fact: Many Americans do not have access to these life-saving screenings.
Solution: Make colon cancer screenings accessible to all Americans.
Passage of this bill will have a direct impact on reducing colon cancer deaths by screening more Americans for colon cancer and then providing them with the necessary treatment. "Less than 15 percent of those without health coverage in the United States have been properly screened for colon cancer. That means too many Americans are going without this lifesaving screening because they cannot afford it," said Daniel E. Smith, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). "We urge Congress to pass this crucial legislation to help us stop one of the few cancers we CAN prevent in many cases."
The benefits of the legislation would include:
- More states would receive federal funding to launch programs to provide comprehensive colon cancer screening and treatment for uninsured and underinsured Americans.
- More Americans would have access to life-saving cancer screenings if needed
- Those in the program would have access to screenings recommended by the American Cancer Society
- Since treatment costs are extremely high, increasing screening in the pre-Medicare population (50-64 year olds) would provide savings in future Medicare screening and treatment costs.
