Colorectal cancer care advocacy groups and physician organizations are calling on the U.S. Congress to approve a bill that would provide Medicare coverage for screening CT colonography.
The bipartisan CT Colonography Screening for Colorectal Cancer Act (S 3465/HR 1298) would cover virtual colonoscopy scans. Currently, 37 states require insurance policies to cover the procedure.
In addition, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires insurers that participate in federal exchanges to cover the exam with no copay. Cigna, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, and Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield are among the payors that cover virtual colonoscopy, regardless of ACA requirements. However, Medicare refuses to provide coverage for senior citizens for the scan.
"Medicare coverage of virtual colonoscopy can help increase screening in underserved areas and reduce racial and ethnic disparities in colorectal cancer outcomes," said Anne Carlson, president of the Colon Cancer Coalition. "All seniors should have covered access to the test that they will actually choose to have."
![Images show the pectoralis muscles of a healthy male individual who never smoked (age, 66 years; height, 178 cm; body mass index [BMI, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared], 28.4; number of cigarette pack-years, 0; forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1], 97.6% predicted; FEV1: forced vital capacity [FVC] ratio, 0.71; pectoralis muscle area [PMA], 59.4 cm2; pectoralis muscle volume [PMV], 764 cm3) and a male individual with a smoking history and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) (age, 66 years; height, 178 cm; BMI, 27.5; number of cigarette pack-years, 43.2, FEV1, 48% predicted; FEV1:FVC, 0.56; PMA, 35 cm2; PMV, 480.8 cm3) from the Canadian Cohort Obstructive Lung Disease (i.e., CanCOLD) study. The CT image is shown in the axial plane. The PMV is automatically extracted using the developed deep learning model and overlayed onto the lungs for visual clarity.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/03/genkin.25LqljVF0y.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&crop=focalpoint&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
