Medicare Beneficiaries: Colorectal Cancer Screening Benefit
If you are eligible for Medicare and are considered to be at "average risk" for colorectal cancer, you can now receive screenings as part of your benefits. Several options are available to Medicare recipients to allow for early detection of colorectal cancer. Certain guidelines apply, and you should speak with your physician about family history, past screenings and which screening method is best for you.
Q: Am I high risk or average risk?
Medicare defines a person as being at "high risk" for colorectal cancer if he/she has any of the following risk factors:
A close relative (sibling, parent, or child) who has had colorectal cancer or an adenomatous polyp;
A family history of familial adenomatous polyposis;
A family history of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer;
A personal history of adenomatous polyps;
A personal history of colorectal cancer; or -- Inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis.
Anyone who does not meet any of the above conditions is considered "average risk."
Q: What are my colorectal cancer screening options?
There are four screening procedures that are available: colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, fecal occult blood test, and barium enema. Each test is different, and each has a different ability to detect cancer in the large intestine and rectum. The decision about which screening is right for you should be made between you and your physician. To learn more about colorectal cancer screenings, please visit http://www.gastro.org/public/cc_screening.html.
Q: How often will Medicare pay for my colorectal cancer screenings?
Each screening method has a different length of time after which you must wait to have another colorectal cancer screening. For example, if you have a colonoscopy, you must then wait 119 months (ten years) before you are eligible for Medicare to pay for another screening. If you have a flexible sigmoidoscopy, you must wait 47 months (4 years) before you can have another flexible sigmoidoscopy or another screening that you choose. The waiting period for each test is different, so be sure to ask your physician. Q: Why is colorectal cancer screening so important?
If you detect colorectal cancer early through regular screenings, you have a terrific chance of dealing with the cancer successfully. It is important to remember that screenings can save your life - so do not be embarrassed to ask your physician about colorectal cancer.
