Verna Cox is 60 year old two-time stage III colon cancer survivor from Philadelphia, PA.  This March, for the third year in a row, Verna celebrated Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month by attending C3′s Call-on Congress.

Verna traveled to DC to participate in the 2010 Call-on Congress because:

“I’m back attending because we still haven’t reached our goal of having a colorectal Cancer prevention, early detection and treatment act passed into law.

Read more about Verna’s story in the City Suburban News.

Take five minutes today and help Verna reach her goal of seeing a national colorectal cancer screening and treatment program enacted into law.  Call 1-866-615-3375 anytime from 9 AM to 5:30 PM EDT, and ask your Representative to cosponsor H.R. 1189.

Don’t know what to say when you call?  We have a detailed script that you can use.

Rochelle Joseph is a 10-year, stage III colon cancer survivor from Upper Marlboro, Maryland by way of Dallas, Texas.  She was diagnosed in 1999 just after completing graduate school at the age of 26. After six weeks of radiation and chemo, Rochelle underwent a colectomy to remove her tumor and proceeded with seven months of adjuvent therapy.

Rochelle took time off from work to participate in the 2010 Call-on Congress because:

“I believe that awareness, education, and early screening and detection are paramount with a preventable disease like colon cancer.”

Read more about Rochelle’s story at Fredricksburg.com.

When Rochelle met with her Members of Congress, she asked them to cosponsor legislation that will create a national screening and treatment for colorectal cancer similar to what we currently have in place for breast and cervical cancer.

Is your Representative a cosponsor of this life-saving legislation?  If not, today is your chance to call your Representative and ask him/her to cosponsor H.R. 1189.  Call 1-866-615-3375 anytime from 9 AM to 5:30 PM EDT, and ask your Representative to cosponsor H.R. 1189.

Don’t know what to say when you call?  We have a detailed script that you can use.

Join thousands of advocates from across the country and take five minutes to call Congress and ask your Representative to support H.R. 1189.

Don’t know what to say when you call?  Download a detailed script.

H.R. 1189 will create a national treatment and screening program for colorectal cancer – a program that remains important even in the wake of health care reform.  While the recently enacted health care reform legislation will lower the cost of preventive services like colonoscopies for many Americans, the health care reform legislation will not do anything to increase awareness about the importance of early detection and screening.  To do that, we need H.R. 1189 enacted.

Today is your chance to help us win the fight against colorectal cancer and make the vision of a national colorectal cancer screening and treatment program a reality.  Take five minutes to call Congress and ask your Representative to support H.R. 1189.

For more details, and updates go to www.coveryourbutt.org.

Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper

Along with Preventing Colorectal Cancer.org and the Prevent Cancer Foundation, C3 hosted a Congressional briefing in order to provide Members and health care staff with information about current colorectal cancer screening programs that work and pending legislation that has the potential to save thousands of lives and billions in Medicare expenditures by expanding access to colorectal cancer screening and treatment.

Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper spoke at the briefing about the impact of colorectal cancer on women and to urge support for her recently-introduced resolution.  A champion for the health care and wellness needs of women, Representative Dahlkemper discussed the importance of early detection and screening in the fight against colorectal cancer.

“Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in both women and men in the United States, yet many people are unaware of the need to be screened for this disease.  As many as 44,000 lives a year could be saved if colorectal cancer screening was fully accessible and utilized.  Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month is about educating men and women to save lives. I am proud to be part of this important effort to raise awareness and help in the fight against colorectal cancer.”

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This morning, the President signed into law the biggest transformation of our health care system in decades.  The law includes a number of provisions that will help individuals diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer.

Although many of the provisions of the new law are phased in to take effect gradually until the entire law is implemented in 2018, some benefits will be available immediately.

Highlights of the provisions that will benefit individuals people facing cancer treatment include: prohibiting insurance companies from dropping patients who become sick; eliminating lifetime and annual limits on coverage; prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions; and limits on on out-of-pocket expenses.

You can review a chart developed by C3 with key issues affecting colorectal cancer prevention and treatment that are part of the health care reform legislation.

While historic, enactment of this new law is just one step in an ongoing process.  Even after all the provisions in the new law take effect in 2018, many Americans may be newly insured but will still fail to receive the right treatment at the right time.  The Colorectal Cancer Coalition continues to support research to help develop new treatments and to support efforts to increase awareness about the importance of early detection and screening. Read the rest of this entry »