Letter: Bipartisan act improves access

Thanks to Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, Washingtonians are closer to accessing lifesaving cancer screenings. Colorectal cancer is preventable if found early, so colonoscopies starting at age 50 are important.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for men and women combined. Nearly 1,000 Washingtonians will die from it this year, but half these deaths are preventable if everyone got screened.

High costs often make screenings unaffordable, especially for seniors on fixed incomes. With private insurance, there are no co-payments for preventive screenings, but seniors on Medicare can get a large bill if a polyp is found and removed during a colonoscopy.

The Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act would fix this. As an American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Ambassador, I’m thrilled that all 12 of Washington’s members of Congress support this bipartisan legislation.

Colon cancer runs in my family, so I started screenings at 32. Recently, a precancerous polyp was removed during a routine colonoscopy. Thanks to early screening, I won’t fight colon cancer like my grandmother, great-grandmother and two great-aunts.

As someone who knows the value of colonoscopies, I’m grateful for the support of Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Herrera Beutler.