According to a study published in the December issue of Health Affairs, men are getting more screening colonoscopies. Ever since the Affordable Care Act reduced how much Medicare beneficiaries are required to pay out of pocket for preventative screenings, more men are choosing to be screened for colon cancer. The new guidance has not increased women’s screening rates, however.
In 2011, the health law waived the Medicare Part B deductible (which equaled $147 million in 2015) and did away with the requirement that Medicare beneficiaries pay 20 percent of their screening colonoscopy cost. The study found that colonoscopy screening rates for men increased from 18 to 22 percent after the health law was established. The colonoscopy screening rate remained fixed at 18 percent for women after the law passed.
As for why women did not respond to the policy changes, study co-author Kandice Kapinos has a theory. Kapinos is an economist at Rand, a nonprofit research and policy organization. Her perspective is that women may perceive their risk differently because women traditionally have a lower colon cancer incidence than men. It is also possible that women may find endoscopic screening embarrassing.
Whatever the individual reasons may be for more women not choosing colonoscopy screenings, the facts remain the same:
- Colorectal cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer death in the United States.
- The U.S. Preventative Task Force recommends colon screening for adults at average risk for colon cancer between the ages of 50 and 75.
- Colonoscopy is the best and most effective way to prevent, diagnose and treat colon cancer.
- Screening rates are lower than they should be. Only 40 percent of adults are up to date with colon screenings.
If you are between the ages of 50 and 75 and have not had a colon screening, talk to your doctor today. Colonoscopies save lives, and one of those lives could be yours. You could be eligible for a low cost or no cost procedure, so do not let cost be an obstacle.