Earlier this week a federal judge in Texas ruled unconstitutional the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) use of U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations to determine what kinds of preventive care must be fully covered by private health insurance. Read details on the decision.
Patient lives are in jeopardy if this ruling stands.
We know that more Americans use preventive services – like CRC screening – when those services are cost-free. And when Americans use preventive services, health outcomes improve.
Since the ACA went into effect, CRC screening rates have increased while CRC incidence rates decreased among privately insured individuals.
AGA will fight to preserve patient access to CRC screening.
“Financial barriers prevent patients from getting screened and that is why AGA has advocated for the past decade to waive cost sharing for the entire screening continuum,” says Dr. John Carethers, AGA president. “This political ruling could slash patient access and cause many more deaths of Americans.”
This is particularly concerning as we just published new data in Gastroenterology showing that COVID-19 screening delays had a pronounced impact on those age 65 and older.
AGA will work with policymakers and our strategic partners to advocate that patients continue to have access and coverage of lifesaving screenings.
