Colorectal cancer advocates from around the country joined together tonight for three days of trainings and strategizing that will culminate in meetings with their Members of Congress on Capitol Hill.

Advocates from every corner of the country traveled to Washington, DC, in support of legislation that will create a National Colorectal Cancer Screening Program – something that is desperately needed if we are to make colorectal cancer a disease that is no more deadly than the common cold. Read the rest of this entry »

Advocates to meet with their Members of Congress and urge support of HR 1189

ALEXANDRIA, VA – March 20, 2009 - On Tuesday March 24th, 65 colorectal cancer advocates from throughout the country will head to Capitol Hill in Washington, DC to “Call on Congress” in an effort to fight colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in America.

C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition (C3), a nonprofit advocacy organization based in Alexandria, VA, will host the 65 advocates for three days, March 22nd – 25th, as part of its annual Call-on Congress grassroots advocacy training. The event will train and prepare colorectal cancer advocates – patients, survivors and caregivers – on how to have the most successful meetings possible with their elected officials. On Tuesday, March 24th, they will take what they learned to the halls of Congress, armed with information, state-specific colorectal cancer statistics and a call to action: support colorectal cancer legislation that will save money and save lives. Read the rest of this entry »

On March 24, 2009, C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition and The National Coalition for Quality Colorectal Cancer Screening and Care (also known as Preventing Colorectal Cancer.Org) are pleased to host a special briefing on Capitol Hill entitled “The Cost of Failing To Treat The Preventable Cancer.” Read the rest of this entry »

In response to a proposed national coverage decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services not to pay for screening CT colonography (CTC) for Medicare enrollees, C3 has submitted comments asking that CMS cover screening CT colonography (virtual colonoscopy) as part of a Coverage with Evidence Development (CED) process.

A CED would enable CMS to determine if CT colonography is safe and effective in the older Medicare population and which patients might benefit from screening using CTC rather than optical colonoscopy.

We believe that older patients should have a choice for colorectal cancer screening methods after a discussion of the risks and benefits of each method with their doctors.  And we want good information available for those patient decisions.  Read the rest of this entry »

C3 would like to thank legislators in the Tennessee House and Senate for introducing the Tennessee “Colon Cancer Screening Act”. House bill 396 and Senate bill 508 would require the Tennessee Department of Health develop and implement a program to provide screenings for uninsured individuals. The bill also requires health insurance companies operating in the state of Tennessee to cover colorectal cancer screenings. Read the rest of this entry »