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February 25th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda FRIDAY, Feb. 24 (HealthDay News) — Fewer people opted for
potentially lifesaving colonoscopies to screen for colon cancer during the
recent economic recession, largely because they couldn’t afford to pay
high out-of-pocket costs often associated with this test, new research
finds.
During the recession of December 2007 to June 2009, about 500,000 fewer
Americans who had health insurance underwent a screening colonoscopy,
compared to the two years before the recession began. The study findings
appear in the March issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and
Hepatology.
“In difficult economic times, people are more likely to forgo necessary
medical services if there are high out-of-pocket costs,” said study author
Dr. Spencer Dorn, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of
gastroenterology and hepatology at University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill. And “colonoscopy is never the most popular service to begin
with.”
During a colonoscopy, a doctor looks for abnormalities in the interior
lining of your large intestine — the rectum and colon — with a camera
after a day-long bowel cleanse or prep. The U.S. Preventive Services Task
Force (USPSTF) recommends colorectal screening for people aged 50 and
75.
Before the recession, the number of colonoscopies performed each year
increased steadily, largely because of general awareness of the test’s
benefits and broader coverage by insurance companies, Dorn said.
The new study included data from 106 U.S. health plans on colonoscopy
rates before and during the recession among people aged 50 to 64. Those
people with out-of-pocket costs of at least $300 were less likely to have
a colonoscopy during the recession compared to those with lower
out-of-pocket costs, the study showed. Out-of-pocket costs in the study
referred to co-insurance payments.
A similar trend — higher co-pays and fewer cancer screenings — seems
to have occurred with mammograms, according to study background
information.
A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed
colonoscopy can prevent colorectal cancer and dramatically reduce deaths
from the disease. “Let’s hope the economy gets better and we can try to
get rid of cost sharing for colonoscopy,” Dorn said.
As part of health reform, federal changes are under way that do away
with co-pays for people covered by Medicare, Medicaid or new insurers for
any test that the USPSTF deems as grade A. This includes colonoscopy.
Such cost-cutting measures are needed if Americans are to comply with
recommended screening guidelines, the study authors and other experts say.
Among them is Dr. Robynne Chutkan, an assistant professor of medicine
at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. “Screening
colonoscopy saves lives and is an important part of the preventive health
care measures that we recommend for people age 50 and older,” said
Chutkan.
“One can only hope that at least some of the decrease in colonoscopies
during the time period described represented people who were in financial
straits at the time, but have now recovered and are able to refocus on
their health,” Chutkan said.
“We know that cost-sharing is a disincentive psychologically, even if
the co-pay amount is small and ‘affordable.’ In principle, it is still a
barrier for many people,” Chutkan said.
More information
Learn more about colon cancer screening recommendations at the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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