Advocacy News & Wins

• We hosted a panel at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference titled, “A Call to Action: Fighting Colorectal Cancer in the Black Community”. The panel was co-hosted by Representative Donald Payne Jr. (D-NJ) and Representative Nikema Williams (D-GA) and featured colorectal cancer researcher Dr. Fola May, artist and caregiver, Simone Ledward Boseman, physician and researcher, Dr. Robert Winn, and stage II colorectal cancer survivor, Candace Henley.
• More than 50 organizations joined Fight CRC in urging the American College of Physicians (ACP) to reconsider its colorectal cancer screening guidance, advocating for colorectal cancer screenings to start at age 45, in line with national recommendations, to save lives and address rising rates in younger populations.
• In March 2023, United Healthcare announced their plans to require prior authorization for diagnostic procedures for almost all upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy, colonoscopy, and capsule endoscopy procedures. We worked with our partners in the GI community to urge UH not to implement this policy. After advocates sent over 1,000 messages to UH’s CEO, they did not implement the policy as planned.
• Fight CRC and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) released a suite of resources for patients, providers, and insurers to provide information on recent policy wins that increase access to colonoscopy after an abnormal non-invasive screening test. These resources are an effort to ensure that these policies are successfully implemented across the health care system and that patients can benefit from these important changes.
• Catalyst grantees in New Jersey successfully passed legislation that required health insurers to cover colorectal cancer screenings recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and eliminate cost-sharing for required follow-up colonoscopies after an abnormal non-invasive screening test. Fight CRC advocate, Theresa Maschke, and her husband Joe, a stage III colorectal cancer survivor testified before the New Jersey Assembly and Senate in support of the bill, helping it over the finish line!

• Fight CRC advocates successfully helped advance policy known as “report language” that directs the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to develop a strategic plan that includes opportunities to advance progress against colorectal cancer with an emphasis on: (1) opportunities to develop more effective therapeutics; (2) rising rates in people under the age of 50, including rapidly increasing rates in the 20 to 39 year old age range; and (3) the persistent health disparities in prevalence, screening, and outcomes.
• Catalyst grantees in New York passed legislation to help ensure colorectal cancer screening coverage for New Yorkers at average-risk starting at age 45, and ensure that state regulated insurance plans cover, with no cost-sharing, follow-up colonoscopies after an abnormal non-invasive stool test.
• After several years of consistent advocacy from Fight CRC and our partners, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a rule to remove out-of-pocket costs for a necessary colonoscopy after a positive noninvasive screening test for Medicare beneficiaries. Additionally, the rule lowers the minimum age of colorectal cancer screening to 45, consistent with the American Cancer Society and the United States Preventive Services Task Force colorectal cancer screening recommendations.
• After Catalyst grantees in Kentucky advanced policy to allow pharmacists to offer non-invasive colorectal cancer screening tests in 2021, colorectal screening became available at participating Kentucky pharmacies.
• We convened a group of colorectal cancer screening advocacy and business leaders to meet with officials from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Cancer Institute, Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Office of the First Lady to discuss the challenges and opportunities related to colorectal cancer screening in response to the President’s Cancer Moonshot
• Our president, Anjee Davis, traveled to Washington, D.C. to be a voice for the colorectal cancer community at the White House’s Cancer Moonshot Goals Forum. In the meeting she discussed efforts to reduce cost barriers to colorectal cancer screening to help meet the goals of the Cancer Moonshot effort.
• Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts signed legislation into law to ensure access to colorectal cancer screening beginning at age 45.
• Catalyst grantees in Indiana successfully advanced legislation to remove out-of-pocket costs for patients needing a colonoscopy following an abnormal non-invasive test.
• We hosted the first-ever United in Blue, a colorectal cancer installation on the National Mall, planting over 27,000 blue flags to bring awareness to the growing number of young people being diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
• Following consistent advocacy from Fight CRC, the American Gastroenterological Association, and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the federal government issued guidance requiring private insurance plans to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for patients who require a colonoscopy following an abnormal non-invasive colorectal cancer screening test.

• We hosted a meeting to convene our Catalyst grantees in Springfield, Missouri, on December 2, 2021. Former, current, and new grantees participated in person and virtually to discuss the importance of data in advocacy, policy implementation, health equity, and future opportunities for the Catalyst Program.
• Catalyst grantees in California, alongside their advocacy partners, successfully urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to add colorectal cancer screening to the CMS Medicaid Adult Core Set of Quality Measures for adoption in 2022.
• Catalyst grantees in California successfully advanced legislation to remove-out-of pocket costs for patients needing a colonoscopy after an abnormal non-invasive screening test.
• Catalyst grantees in Texas passed legislation to ensure coverage for colorectal cancer screening beginning at age 45 and removing out-of-pocket costs for a colonoscopy following an abnormal non-invasive screening test.
• Following advocacy from Fight CRC and many others in the colorectal cancer community, the United States Preventive Task Force (USPSTF) updated its recommendations and lowered the colorectal cancer screening age from 50 to 45 for average risk individuals.
• Catalyst grantees in Arkansas and Rhode Island successfully advanced legislation to ensure access to colorectal cancer screening at age 45 and remove out-of-pocket costs for patients needing a colonoscopy after an abnormal non-invasive test. Catalyst grantees in Kentucky also successfully advanced legislation to increase access to genetic testing.

We never gave up and we never backed down. For eight years, Fight CRC champions advocated for the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Screening Act, nicknamed the “Medicare Loophole” bill, and in December 2020 the bill was signed into law! After having to shift Call-on Congress to a virtual event following the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, advocates sent over 4,000 emails to Congress urging them to support funding for colorectal cancer research and screening.

Fight CRC advocates successfully urged their members of Congress to include language in the FY20 Appropriations bill the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to identify causes and risk factors for early-onset colorectal cancer. PGA TOUR Professional and colorectal cancer survivor Tom Lehman participated in a colorectal cancer screening event on Capitol Hill, met with members of Congress, and met with President Trump at the White House to discuss the importance of increasing access to colorectal cancer screening.

Fight CRC advocates, alongside other young adult cancer advocates, successfully advocated for the Deferment for Active Cancer Treatment Act, legislation to allow cancer patients in active treatment to defer student loan payments while in active treatment.

Patient advocates, including Fight CRC advocates, helped secure the largest funding increase for medical research in over a decade for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Fight CRC, along with our partners in the patient community, defeat efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and its patient protections.  We met with NCI Director, Dr. Ned Sharpless, to discuss the needs of the colorectal cancer community.

For our 10th Call-on Congress, 125 advocates attended and participated in 131 congressional meetings. Advocates helped grow support for the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act, securing 300 co-sponsors.

CEO Anjee Davis was appointed to the NCI Colon Task Force.

We participated in a White House meeting and press conference to launch the 80% by 2018 campaign for colorectal cancer screening. And for the first time in 13 years, March was officially recognized as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month through a presidential proclamation.

Call-on Congress grew to 80 advocates from 24 states participating in 104 congressional meetings.

We advocated for the introduction of a bill that was eventually known as the “Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act,” legislation that would ensure Medicare beneficiaries would not be charged if a polyp was detected and removed during a screening colonoscopy.

We helped educate lawmakers about a key barrier to colorectal cancer screening and pushed for policy to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries would not be charged if a polyp was detected and removed during a screening colonoscopy.

We successfully advocated for colorectal cancer to be eligible for $15 million in research funding through the Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program.

We worked with congressional champions to draft legislation for a National Colorectal Cancer Screening Program for low-income, uninsured people aged 50-64. This program was modeled after successful national screening programs for breast and cervical cancer, representing a significant bipartisan effort to reduce colorectal cancer mortality.

We engaged nearly 2,000 advocates as part of Call-on Congress and Congressional Butt-In to reach out to over 325 congressional offices to raise awareness and build support for colorectal cancer screening legislation.

We successfully advocated for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to continue coverage for Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents (ESAs), ensuring that colorectal cancer patients could continue to access these important supportive care drugs.

We hosted our first Call-on Congress, bringing 24 advocates to Washington, D.C. to meet with lawmakers.

Advocacy was core to our mission from the day we were founded in March 2005. Fight CRC (then C3) began our efforts by advocating for insurance coverage of colorectal cancer screening.