The agency is taking public comments for 30 days. Some insurance companies pay while others do not. It seems to me that by eliminating the diagnostic process there will be fewer individuals who may be able to take advantage of early detection. It is much shorter, less expensive, and less invasive. BD
Medicare has tentatively decided not to pay for virtual colonoscopies, dealing a setback to a technique that some medical experts recommend as a more tolerable alternative to conventional colonoscopy in screening for colon cancer.
Dr. Durado Brooks, director for colorectal and prostate cancer at the American Cancer Society, said the decision would reduce the choices available. “There are certainly some patients who may opt not to be screened because they don’t want to have a colonoscopy,” Dr. Brooks said.
The cancer society, in partnership with other groups, last year began recommending virtual colonoscopy as one option for colon cancer screening. But the United States Preventive Services Task Force, which advises the government on prevention, said last year that there was insufficient evidence to assess the benefits and harms of the CT technique. Some private insurers pay for the tests; others do not.
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