Wellness

[HisElk]

On 11/5/2014 brii said:

On 11/4/2014 happy housewife said:

Our insurance will pay 100% for a colonoscopy but if they find any polyps and remove them then it becomes a surgical procedure and we have to pay 20% of the cost. I have put off getting one due to the fear of not knowing if it will possibly cost us a lot of $$$, just for a screening test when we have no symptoms and no family history etc to indicate we need to worry about this. For us this Mayo clinic test may be the better choice. At least we would know up front what it is going to cost.

You're putting it off because you might have to pay?

Wow...

I thought the same thing, especially coming from a 'supposed' retired nurse.

[azqfan]

After considering public comments and consulting with appropriate organizations, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has determined that the evidence is sufficient to cover CologuardTM – a multitarget stool DNA test – as a colorectal cancer screening test for asymptomatic, average risk beneficiaries, aged 50 to 85 years. Therefore, Medicare Part B will cover the CologuardTM test once every three years for beneficiaries who meet all of the following criteria: Age 50 to 85 years, Asymptomatic (no signs or symptoms of colorectal disease including but not limited to lower gastrointestinal pain, blood in stool, positive guaiac fecal occult blood test or fecal immunochemical test), and At average risk of developing colorectal cancer (no personal history of adenomatous polyps, colorectal cancer, or inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis; no family history of colorectal cancers or adenomatous polyps, familial adenomatous polyposis, or hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer). All other screening stool DNA tests not otherwise specified above remain nationally non-covered.

[azqfan]

After considering public comments and consulting with appropriate organizations, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has determined that the evidence is sufficient to cover CologuardTM – a multitarget stool DNA test – as a colorectal cancer screening test for asymptomatic, average risk beneficiaries, aged 50 to 85 years. Therefore, Medicare Part B will cover the CologuardTM test once every three years for beneficiaries who meet all of the following criteria: Age 50 to 85 years, Asymptomatic (no signs or symptoms of colorectal disease including but not limited to lower gastrointestinal pain, blood in stool, positive guaiac fecal occult blood test or fecal immunochemical test), and At average risk of developing colorectal cancer (no personal history of adenomatous polyps, colorectal cancer, or inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis; no family history of colorectal cancers or adenomatous polyps, familial adenomatous polyposis, or hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer). All other screening stool DNA tests not otherwise specified above remain nationally non-covered.

[chrystaltree]

That is good news. A lot of people, myself included, put routine screening colonoscopies for reasons other than money. For me, it's the time. The wait time for screening when you have no symptoms is about 5 months, you make an appointment but you don't actually get the date until about a month before the procedure. They send you the date with the instruction material. You have to take the prep day off work, the procedure day off work and you have have someone take a day off to drive you back and forth. I just haven't been able to coordinate all that. Actually I did have it all in place last summer but the evening before my procedure, I totally forgot and mindlessly ate a bag of popcorn. So I had to cancel and reschedule. Some people just don't want to go through the procedure. This is promising, if insurance covers it.

[Havarti]

Under FAQ on their site http://www.cologuardtest.com it says that there may be coverage for some people:

Cologuard is now covered for all Medicare patients as described in the CMS National Coverage Decision released on October 9, 2014.

Original Medicare patients will not have any co-pays or co-insurance for Cologuard.

Medicare Advantage patients may be subject to laboratory co-pays or co-insurance as determined by your plan. For details, please call your plan provider.

_________________________________________________________________________

Anything that makes it possible for people to detect cancer early seems like a good thing to me. It is such a horrible disease that impacts nearly every family on earth. It is good to see that Mayo is working to expand this type of testing to other types of cancer and that they have worked to have Medicare and insurance coverage.

[GloriBee]

Thank you for sharing this info.

[momshan]

azqfan, thanks for that update. I was hoping they would get with the program and they have in record time.

[dsky]

I am 54 years old and every year my primary doctor would hand me the prescription for a colonoscopy and I would ignore it. This year I decided I would get one having a couple of symptoms that started to worry me, plus I am always a bit low in iron. Anyway for me when I start to worry more than the fear of knowing, well then it's time to do something. Anyway I did it in late October and except for not eating for 35 hours it wasn't bad at all. I used the Prepopik for the prep and it was fine, no stomach ache, just a gentle flow, if you will. I had two very small polyps removed that were not pre cancerous and have to go back in seven years. I learned alot about myself during the fasting, like I really don't have to nibble all day, I won't pass out from no food, in fact as I was fasting I steam cleaned my rugs and felt more energized and clear headed. You know it made me realize that food really effects everything, including brain function. I was very scared to get this test as I know what can go wrong as I research way too much, however I thought that it was important information to have in order to stay ahead of any problems. I am hoping that there will be better ways of knowing your colon health and this is promising news.

[Tinkrbl44]

On 11/5/2014 momshan said:

Some of you were taking offense about others putting off the colonoscopy due to the additional cost. Please take a moment to understand that most people that need this procedure are retirees. A lot live on a fixed income and Medicare. I'm not advocating putting off any screening procedures and I am so thankful that my husband and I can afford to have this. That said, we now live on a fixed income and know a little more about these issues.

I heard this morning that this new colon testing that is done at home will cost around $600. It is so new that it is not now on Medicare or any other insurances. I'm hoping this will happen soon so more will be tested. Any screening is better than no screening.

Sorry, but your facts aren't correct ..................

According to the Cologuard website, as of October 9, 2014, this is now covered by Medicare.

[Tinkrbl44]

On 11/5/2014 dsky said:

I am 54 years old and every year my primary doctor would hand me the prescription for a colonoscopy and I would ignore it. This year I decided I would get one having a couple of symptoms that started to worry me, plus I am always a bit low in iron. Anyway for me when I start to worry more than the fear of knowing, well then it's time to do something. Anyway I did it in late October and except for not eating for 35 hours it wasn't bad at all. I used the Prepopik for the prep and it was fine, no stomach ache, just a gentle flow, if you will. I had two very small polyps removed that were not pre cancerous and have to go back in seven years. I learned alot about myself during the fasting, like I really don't have to nibble all day, I won't pass out from no food, in fact as I was fasting I steam cleaned my rugs and felt more energized and clear headed. You know it made me realize that food really effects everything, including brain function. I was very scared to get this test as I know what can go wrong as I research way too much, however I thought that it was important information to have in order to stay ahead of any problems. I am hoping that there will be better ways of knowing your colon health and this is promising news.

You're not allowed to eat for 35 hours ??????

Yikes!!!!