Colorectal cancer is the most preventable and beatable cancer if detected early. That’s why you need to Find it First.

Olympus and the Colorectal Cancer Coalition are joining forces to encourage at-risk Americans to commit to being screened for colon or rectal cancer. If you are age 50 or older, have family history of colorectal cancer or have other risk factors, you should commit to be screened at FinditFirst.com.

For each screening commitment, Olympus will donate $1 (up to $25,000 total) to the Coalition. In addition to making a commitment to be screened, visitors will also be invited to join Olympus and the Coalition in urging their Members of Congress to support legislation that ensures all Americans access to life-saving colorectal cancer screening.

Make the commitment at FinditFirst.com, get screened and tell your friends and loved ones!

Once is not enough for FOBT!

Fecal occult blood test (FOBT)  is an effective colorectal cancer screening method, but it needs to be repeated every one or two years to reduce the risk of dying from colon or rectal cancer.

But almost half of a group of insured patients initially screened with fecal occult blood testing didn’t follow-up with another FOBT within two years, as recommended. Read the rest of this entry »

The South Dakota colorectal cancer screening program has gone statewide!

GetScreenedSD has expanded from six pilot clinics to more than 200 clinics across the state of South Dakota.

People age 50 and over are encouraged to be screened for this preventable cancer, either with a take-home test or a colonoscopy. Financial help is available for those who cannot afford it.

Go to the South Dakota Department of Health to find a testing site near you. Read the rest of this entry »

This afternoon, First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius spoke at George Washington University Hospital to announce the release of new guidelines that will provide free preventive health care services under the Affordable Care Act.

The new guidelines will mean that insurance plan can no longer charge copayments or other fees for a number of preventive services including colorectal cancer screenings.  The regulation does not take effect until Sept. 23, and it only applies to plans that are new after that, meaning that people who stay on their existing plan won’t benefit from the change. Read the rest of this entry »

We took a look at the Affordable Care Act through a cancer lens in order to better understand how the law will affect the colorectal cancer community.  Whether you favored or opposed enactment of the Affordable Care Act, a full understanding of the new law is essential as it will change many areas of health care.  We put together a webinar that will give you an overview of what is happening when and how it will impact you.  It gives an overview of upcoming implementation deadlines as well as opportunities for patients and advocates to get involved in the implementation process.

If you were not able to join us for the live webinar, you can access a video of the webinar or download the slides from the presentation.

Still have questions about the Affordable Care Act, and how it changes access to colorectal cancer screening and impacts the cost of cancer care?  Email us at Advocacy@FightCRC.org.