Bipartisan Bill Seeks to Get Rid of Medicare Co-pays for Polyp Removal

Lawmakers are looking to truly make colonoscopies fully covered by Medicare with a new piece of legislation called the "Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2017". Although colonoscopies are promoted as a free service covered by Medicare, seniors must pay a co-pay if polyps are found during the screening and need to be removed.

In a recent Outpatient Surgery article, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) argued that the required co-pay could pose a barrier to lifesaving treatment.

"Let's face it — colonoscopies are already unpleasant. We shouldn't make matters worse by charging seniors for what's supposed to be free under Medicare," says Brown. "Preventive life-saving screenings should be available to seniors at no out-of-pocket cost, especially when a doctor makes the decision to remove a potentially harmful polyp."

According to the writers of the bill, approximately 33 percent of adults between the ages of 50 and 75 (the recommended age range for colon cancer screening) are not getting routine colonoscopies as advised by their doctor. Brown and other sponsors of the bill hope that, if the legislation passes, it will improve those numbers.

To learn more, read the entire article.