Text: SCR00008 Text: SCR00010 Text: SCR00000 - SCR00099 Text: SCR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN 1 1 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 1 2 BY JOHNSON, JENSEN, GASKILL, TINSMAN, LUNDBY, 1 3 REDWINE, BOETTGER, IVERSON, GRONSTAL, BOLKCOM, 1 4 CONNOLLY, HAMMOND, DVORSKY, and HARPER 1 5 A Senate Concurrent Resolution urging third-party 1 6 coverage for cancer screening. 1 7 WHEREAS, an estimated 1,268,000 new cancer cases 1 8 will be diagnosed in the United States in 2001, 1 9 including 14,800 in Iowa; and 1 10 WHEREAS, there will be an estimated 553,400 cancer 1 11 deaths in the United States in 2001, including 6,500 1 12 in Iowa; and 1 13 WHEREAS, screening examinations, conducted 1 14 regularly by a health care professional, can result in 1 15 the detection of cancers of the breast, colon, rectum, 1 16 cervix, prostate, testis, oral cavity, and skin, at 1 17 earlier stages when treatment is more likely to be 1 18 successful; and certain cancer screening tools, such 1 19 as those for cervical and colorectal cancers, can 1 20 successfully detect precancerous conditions before 1 21 they develop into cancer; and 1 22 WHEREAS, if all Americans participated in regular 1 23 cancer screenings, the five-year survival rate for 1 24 persons suffering from these screening-accessible 1 25 cancers would increase to more than 95 percent; and 1 26 WHEREAS, each year an estimated 100,000 American 1 27 cancer sufferers would survive if the cancer had been 1 28 detected in a localized stage and treated properly; 1 29 and 1 30 WHEREAS, limitations on covered health care 2 1 insurance benefits often prevent individuals from 2 2 obtaining the cancer screenings and examinations that 2 3 result in early detection of cancer; and 2 4 WHEREAS, studies have shown there is a direct 2 5 correlation between the utilization of preventive 2 6 services and the level of service provided by health 2 7 insurance coverage; and 2 8 WHEREAS, colorectal cancer is the second leading 2 9 cause of cancer death in the United States and the 2 10 American Cancer Society's screening guidelines for 2 11 colorectal cancer provide that beginning at age 50, 2 12 people with an average risk should have one of the 2 13 following: 2 14 1. A fecal occult blood test (FOBT) and flexible 2 15 sigmoidoscopy (if normal, repeat FOBT annually, and 2 16 flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years). 2 17 2. FOBT annually (acceptable but not preferred). 2 18 3. Flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years. 2 19 4. Colonoscopy (if normal, repeat every 10 years). 2 20 5. Double-contrast barium enema (if normal, repeat 2 21 every 5 to 10 years); and 2 22 WHEREAS, prostate cancer is the most common of all 2 23 cancer in men with the exception of skin cancer, 2 24 ranking second after lung cancer in cancer deaths 2 25 among American men, and the American Cancer Society's 2 26 screening guidelines for prostate cancer provide that 2 27 men age 50 and older who have at least a 10-year life 2 28 expectancy should have a digital rectal exam (DRE) of 2 29 the prostate gland and a prostate-specific antigen 2 30 (PSA) blood test every year, and that men who are at a 3 1 high risk for prostate cancer, such as African 3 2 American men and men who have a history of prostate 3 3 cancer in close family members, should begin these 3 4 tests at an earlier age; and 3 5 WHEREAS, the rates of invasive cervical cancer have 3 6 fallen steadily over the last several decades, mainly 3 7 due to the increased use of the Pap test, which is a 3 8 screening procedure that permits a diagnosis of 3 9 preinvasive and early invasive cancer; however, 3 10 despite the recognized benefits of a Pap test 3 11 screening, not all American women are insured for or 3 12 able to take advantage of it; and 3 13 WHEREAS, the American Cancer Society's screening 3 14 guidelines for cervical cancer provide for a Pap test 3 15 and pelvic examination every year for women who are or 3 16 have been sexually active or have reached age 18; 3 17 after three or more consecutive satisfactory normal 3 18 annual exams, the Pap test may be performed less 3 19 frequently at the discretion of the physician; and 3 20 WHEREAS, all individuals should have equal access 3 21 to and coverage for all effective early detection 3 22 screening tools for cancer; and 3 23 WHEREAS, by assuring that all health plans provide 3 24 coverage for cervical, colorectal, and prostate cancer 3 25 screening tools, one key barrier to early detection 3 26 and prevention of cancer is eliminated; and 3 27 WHEREAS, cancer screening tests save money for 3 28 individuals, insurance companies, and the government 3 29 by avoiding the late-stage treatment costs of diseases 3 30 that could be caught early and by eliminating the cost 4 1 of cancer care for those who would have developed 4 2 cancer; and 4 3 WHEREAS, by not screening early, insurance 4 4 companies are essentially passing late-stage treatment 4 5 costs on to taxpayers via Medicare; NOW THEREFORE, 4 6 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, THE HOUSE OF 4 7 REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, That the Iowa General 4 8 Assembly endorses the full utilization of cancer 4 9 screening tools as recommended by the American Cancer 4 10 Society; and 4 11 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Director of Public 4 12 Health transmit cancer screening guidelines published 4 13 by the American Cancer Society to health care 4 14 professionals in the state and urge adoption and use 4 15 of these cancer screening tools in their practices; 4 16 and 4 17 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That third-party payors of 4 18 health care costs be encouraged to administer and 4 19 provide coverage of and reimbursement for all 4 20 recommended cancer screening tools contained in the 4 21 guidelines published by the American Cancer Society, 4 22 as ordered or provided by a health care professional 4 23 to all Iowans in order to aid in diagnosis and 4 24 treatment of cancer and precancerous conditions as 4 25 early as possible. 4 26 LSB 2206SS 79 4 27 vl/gg/8
Text: SCR00008 Text: SCR00010 Text: SCR00000 - SCR00099 Text: SCR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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