Policy Resolution HHS-15-08

Improving Access to Colorectal Cancer Screening
Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee

WHEREAS, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) has ratified policy resolutions aimed at addressing health and cancer treatment disparities in HHS-14-28, “ELIMINATING HEALTH DISPARITIES” and HHS-10-13, “ELIMINATE CANCER TREATMENT INEQUITIES,” and reducing cancer incidence and mortality in HHS-08-08, “CERVICAL CANCER PREVENTION”;

WHEREAS, the American Cancer Society reports that colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in both African American men and women;

WHEREAS, African Americans have the highest colorectal cancer incidence and mortality rates of all racial groups in the United States;

WHEREAS, an estimated 18,000 cases of colorectal cancer were diagnosed among African Americans in 2013, and nearly 7,000 African Americans died from the disease that year;

WHEREAS, African American adults 50 years of age and older are less likely to have had a recent screening test for colorectal cancer (56 percent) than Whites (62 percent);

WHEREAS, African Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer at a more advanced stage than Whites;

WHEREAS, twenty-four percent of colorectal cancers in African Americans are diagnosed at a distant metastasis stage, compared to 19 percent in Whites;

WHEREAS, African Americans have lower 5-year relative survival rates within each stage at diagnosis (57 percent overall) compared to Whites (65 percent overall);

WHEREAS, this difference in survival rates is mostly attributed to less access to and receipt of high-quality early detection and treatment;

WHEREAS, colorectal cancer can be prevented through the early identification and removal of precancerous polyps, detectable only through colorectal cancer screening;

WHEREAS, it is critical that barriers to colorectal screening be eliminated to address these disparities;

WHEREAS, “80% by 2018” is a national initiative in which over one hundred organizations, including state, federal, and local government entities, have committed to eliminating colorectal cancer as a major public health problem;

WHEREAS, these organizations are working toward the shared goal of reaching 80 percent of adults aged 50 and older screened for colorectal cancer by 2018, with a particular emphasis on reaching underserved individuals and communities;

WHEREAS, the goal will only be achieved through joint efforts to empower communities, patients, providers, community health centers, and health systems to provide accessible, coordinated, quality colorectal cancer screening and follow-up care; and

WHEREAS, it is critical that our efforts engage the patient and empower them to complete needed care from screening through treatment and long-term follow-up.

THEREFORE IT BE RESOLVED, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) recognizes the critical importance of timely and appropriate colorectal cancer screening, including improved access to all recommended colorectal cancer screening tests and procedures such as colonoscopy and high quality and high sensitivity stool blood testing options;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL support activities that will increase education and outreach to all populations about screening, but especially those who are most impacted by colorectal cancer disparities;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL support “80% by 2018,” by promoting the initiative and encouraging its members to support state and local efforts to identify and eliminate barriers to colorectal cancer screening;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL supports state policy proposals with the following aims:

  • improve access to colorectal cancer screening and treatment by appropriating additional
    state funds for existing screening and treatment programs;
  • establish statewide screening and treatment programs where ones do not exist;
  • increase community awareness of colorectal cancer and the importance of getting screened, as well as improve access to screenings, through partnerships with hospitals, community health centers, and other organizations in the health care community;
  • broaden access to health care coverage and health insurance programs, such as Medicaid
    expansion; and
  • reduce cost and access barriers to screening and treatment services;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL urges the United States Congress to increase funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP) to expand the program to all 50 states and territories;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL urges the United States Congress to pass legislation that would Amend title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to waive coinsurance for colorectal cancer screening tests and cover 100% of the cost under Medicare part B;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that in order to prevent more cancer and save lives, NBCSL and its members commit to eliminating colorectal cancer disparities by reducing barriers to colon cancer screening and treatment services, especially for underserved, high-risk populations; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal and state government officials as appropriate.

  • SPONSOR: Senator Donne Trotter (IL)
  • Committee of Jurisdiction: Health and Human Services Policy Committee
  • Certified by Committee Chair: Senator Willie Simmons (MS)
  • Ratified in Plenary Session: Ratification Date is December 12, 2014
  • Ratification is certified by: Representative Joe Armstrong (TN), President