Senate Panel Votes to Require Insurance Coverage for Colorectal Cancer Screening

A Senate committee has voted to require all private health insurance plans in the United States to pay for screening tests for colorectal cancer in people 50 or older or who have a high risk of developing the disease.

The cancer screening bill, sponsored by Sens. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) and Jesse Helms (R-NC) was approved by a vote of 16 to 5 in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

The American Cancer Society said that "i moving this legislation forward, Senator Kennedy and other members of the Committee put patients first and took a significant step toward reducing the numbers of Americans who die needlessly every year from colorectal cancer."

"Overwhelming scientific evidence indicates that with early detection, we can save lives, and millions and millions of dollars," Kennedy said.

Helms reportedly would like to see the bill become law before he retires in January, and supporters of the measure said it appear to have a better-than-even chance of achieving that objective.

Other sources: U.S. Senate