High cost of colonoscopy deterring young Americans from testing—and raising cancer risk
The cost of colonoscopies and increasingly strict US insurance company policies are driving down rates of colorectal cancer detection in an age group that experts say is at particular risk. Paige Huffman reports Kristina Kelly of Atlanta, Georgia, struggled with haemorrhoids and bleeding after bowel movements for the first year after the birth of her daughter. Her doctor ordered a colonoscopy. The day before the procedure, Kelly found out that she would have to pay $600 for the test, even though she had good, private insurance. She thought about cancelling. “Did I want to spend $600 on that? No. Are there a lot of other things I could have been spending money on? Yes,” says Kelly. She decided to go ahead with the colonoscopy. The decision might have saved her life. At age 36, Kelly received a diagnosis of stage III colorectal cancer that had spread to one of her lymph nodes. In the United States, insurance companies often deny people like Kelly, who are younger than 45, sufficient cove
