Legislation
Over the past year, the Project worked closely with Kentucky lawmakers to craft and pass two new state laws, KRS § 304.17A-247 (“Coverage under health benefit plan for colorectal cancer examinations and laboratory tests”) and KRS §§ 214.540-544 (“Kentucky Colon Cancer Screening Program”).
The first requires insurers to cover colorectal screening procedures for Kentuckians 50 and older and those considered at risk under the American Cancer Society guidelines. Click here to read this legislation.
The second law creates a program to screen the 15% of Kentuckians who are uninsured and an accompanying awareness campaign to educate all Kentuckians about colon cancer risk factors and prevention, though the state has yet to fund the program. The Project is working with the Kentucky Colon Cancer Screening Program Advisory Committee and other statewide partners to secure funding for this vitally important program. Click here to read this legislation.
How did we get here?
On Wednesday, April 2, 2008, the Colon Cancer Prevention Project came closer to achieving their mission when the Kentucky Senate passed the Kentucky Colon Cancer Screening Act (HB 415) with a 38 to 0 vote. The House, led by bill sponsor Chairman Tom Burch, passed the bill February 26, 2008 with a 94 to 0 vote. Governor Steve Beshear signed the Act into law on April 15, 2008 in the Rotunda of the Capitol in Frankfort.
The Act establishes a colon cancer screening program within the Kentucky Department of Public Health to provide screening services to uninsured individuals age 50 to 64 and others at high risk. The Kentucky Colon Cancer Screening Program will ensure that all Kentuckians will be educated as to the need for this cancer screening, and will assist and navigate the uninsured to seek the screening necessary to save lives.
Colon cancer is the third most commonly occurring cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Kentucky. Data from the Kentucky Cancer Registry show that there are an estimated 2,753 new colon cancer cases diagnosed and 930 deaths from colon cancer annually.
Our Mission
The mission of the Colon Cancer Prevention Project is to eliminate preventable colon cancer death and suffering by increasing screening rates through education, advocacy and health systems improvement in Kentucky and surrounding communities.
