House advances Davis’s colorectal cancer screening bill to Senate

The U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 9 unanimously approved bipartisan legislation offered by U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) that would waive Medicare coinsurance requirements for colorectal cancer screening tests and sent the bill to the U.S. Senate for action.

“Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among men and women combined in the U.S.,” Rep. Davis said, “and those deaths are preventable.”

The Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2020, H.R. 1570, which Rep. Davis cosponsored in March 2019 with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), would authorize the waiver of the Medicare coinsurance requirements for such tests, regardless of the code billed for a resulting diagnosis or procedure, according to the congressional record bill summary.

“Fighting cancer and reducing its incidence is personal to me,” said Rep. Davis. “Twenty-one years ago, my wife was diagnosed and treated for colon cancer. It’s a genetic form of cancer, Lynch syndrome, that could affect our kids, and we’re fortunate that she was able to receive treatment that saved her life.”

The congressman said that that experience made him “proud to team up with my colleague, Rep. Payne, and so many others to unanimously pass this bipartisan legislation.”

Currently, Medicare beneficiaries may receive colorectal cancer screenings, but if cancerous polyps are discovered during those screenings, Medicare beneficiaries can be charged for the testing of those polyps, according to Rep. Davis’ office, which said that such costs deter people from getting the screenings.

“Our bill ensures Medicare beneficiaries aren’t charged for colonoscopies that discover polyps or any subsequent colorectal cancer screenings,” Rep. Davis said. “We need to do everything we can to lower barriers for individuals to receive these cancer screenings because that will save lives. Our bill does just that.”