Posted on by ACG News Team
From left: In-coming ACG National Affairs Committee Chair, Whitfield Knapple, MD, FACG, Sen. Ben Cardin, (D-MD)
From left: In-coming ACG National Affairs Committee Chair, Whitfield Knapple, MD, FACG, Sen. Ben Cardin, (D-MD)

On Wednesday, ACG National Affairs Committee Chair, Caroll Koscheski, MD FACG, and in-coming ACG National Affairs Committee Chair, Whitfield Knapple, MD FACG, met with congressional leaders in the NC and AR delegations, as well as those members of congress who led the successful congressional sign-on letter over proposed Medicare cuts to colonoscopy. Specifically, Drs. Koscheski and Knapple were able to thank Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD FACG (R-LA), Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-NJ), and Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) and express the College’s appreciation for their leadership. As you know, ACG and the GI societies have worked together in opposing these cuts to this life-saving procedure and helped secure the support from these influential members of Congress.

 

rom left to right: In-coming ACG National Affairs Committee Chair, Whitfield Knapple, MD, FACG. Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD (R LA) and ACG National Affairs Committee Chair, Caroll Koscheski, MD FACG.
From left to right: In-coming ACG National Affairs Committee Chair, Whitfield Knapple, MD, FACG. Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD (R LA) and ACG National Affairs Committee Chair, Caroll Koscheski, MD FACG.

Last week, 94 members of the House of Representatives and 27 members of the U.S. Senate sent a letter to CMS conveying concerns over these proposed cuts. The letter emphasizes that although the U.S. is making tremendous strides in lowering colorectal cancer incidence/death rates, the current data, policymakers, and stakeholders all agree that colorectal cancer screening remains significantly underutilized.