At a Sept. 12 Capitol Hill briefing, representatives from the American College of Radiology (ACR) discussed clinical and public health viewpoints for Medicare coverage of CT colonography (CTC) with staff members of about 30 senators and congressional representatives.
The briefing was sponsored by the ACR and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, according to a news brief issued by the ACR, to build congressional support for H.R. 1298, also known as the CT Colonography Screening for Colorectal Cancer Act of 2017.
The bipartisan legislation, which is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, and Rep. Danny Davis, R-Illinois, would mandate Medicare coverage of CTC screening. It is currently supported by 86 other co-sponsors.
ACR members made note of private insurers being legally required to cover the screening as it has the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued a Grade A recommendation for CTC. Additionally, ACR members noted the impact Medicare-covered colon cancer screenings would have on people who avoided screening due to social customs and their socioeconomic status.
“Medicare coverage of CTC could lead to lead to far higher compliance with recommendations for lifesaving colon cancer screening in these populations,” the news brief read.
As a senior news writer for TriMed, Subrata covers cardiology, clinical innovation and healthcare business. She has a master’s degree in communication management and 12 years of experience in journalism and public relations.