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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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