Colorectal cancer advocates have an opportunity to persuade Congress to not let another year go by without fixing an oversight that requires Medicare beneficiaries to pay a coinsurance when they have a screening colonoscopy and the physician removes potentially pre-cancerous polyps. This unfair glitch in the law has been in effect since 2011. It is time for Congress to get rid of this barrier to colorectal cancer screening colonoscopy.

Reps. Charlie Dent (R-PA), Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Joe Courtney (D-CT) in the U.S. House of Representatives have led H.R. 1070, the "Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act."  On May 12, 2014, Senator Sherrod Brown introduced the companion bill S. 2348.

Ask your senators to co-sponsor this legislation:  S. 2348  

	READY	Get ready to take action! First, read the Dear Colleague letter & a backgrounder on this important issue: Dear Colleague letter Issue backgrounder
	SET	Before you take action, you will need the following information: Your senators' names (you have two - find them here) Their social media accounts (find them here) Their email addresses (optional - look on their websites or call their office) *Tips on social media tagging: Make sure you "follow" or "like" your members of Congress. Most of them have Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. You have to like or follow them before you try to tag them in your status update (you can always "unfollow" them afterwards.) To tag them, type the @ symbol and choose their name in the drop down menu.
	GO	TAKE ACTION by posting these status updates: (please use the hashtag!) FACEBOOK WALL:    @SherrodBrown has introduced S. 2348. I am asking you, (@YourSenator), to support this important bill. Elderly Medicare patients are having to pay unexpected coinsurance when they have a lifesaving colonoscopy. Don't let another year go by without fixing this mistake! #CRCAdvocacy TWITTER FEED:     S. 2348 just introduced. (@YourSenator) PLEASE support this important bill & fix unexpected coinsurance for colonoscopy! #CRCAdvocacy OR... You can also go the extra mile by emailing your senator or calling the office. For help writing the letter, email our Advocacy Manager, Emily White.

Thank you for supporting our grassroots advocacy efforts! 

Sincerely,