Lobby for routine colon biopsies for M.C.

Lucy · Post by **Lucy** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 11:15 am

Hi all,
I keep forgetting to suggest this. We need to bombard our local Senators and Representatives to make sure that whatever manages to get through Congress, that the routine biosies will continue to be covered by our insurance during our colonoscopies. I feel like the basic screening colonoscopies will be continued due to the much reduced cost by colon cancer prevention when it is discovered early.

I am one of the people who wouldn't have know what was wrong with me if my GI hadn't done the biopsies which were just becoming routine other places. I had just gone in for a routine colon screening, mind ya. He had no idea how sick I was, but I think he could guess by looking at me and poking on my abdomen. If the routine ones are continued, perhaps others will be diagnosed earlier, and find this site. (Man, are we not humble or what!!)

Anyway, please, please lobby your Congress people as well as the main ones on the appropriate committees. I'm not even sure who the main paople would be.

I have some good novel ideas I never even heard mentioned, short of a complete take-over, but they never seek my advice! Imagine that!! Can't be any worse that their ideas!

Let us know if any of you know a way to have more impact or an e-mail address that will get us more attention for our cause. A personal contact would really be great if you happen to live in the same state as one of the major players, and have a mutual friend who knows one of your reps.

These people have to know that half the country aren't "political operatives." That just cracks me up when I hear that. What kind of fools do they take us for!!

Sincerely,
Luce

Gas Bag · Post by **Gas Bag** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 11:48 am

I think it should certainly be routine for anybody who goes in because of chronic D, and not just have it dismissed or called IBS. I am positive many people who just get lumped into the IBS group have MC. I was lucky enough to go to a GI who immediately suspected my symptoms, I didn't even have to ask him to check for MC, he was all over it.

Sorry I don't have a clue how to go about lobbying anybody.

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 7:17 pm

I wrote my representative about the plan in general, and she sent me a list of the talking points that they've all been given. It was clearly a canned response. The best we can hope for is that they won't ram this down our throats. They aren't looking for input from anyone; they just want to pass their plan.

We need to write and voice our opinion to let them know that we are out here and concerned. Maybe they will realize that they might lose the next election if they don't listen to us.

Gloria

starfire · Post by **starfire** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 6:48 am

Gloria, I agree totally.

Love, Shirley

MaggieRedwings · Post by **MaggieRedwings** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:08 am

Gloria, I totally agree too and have been writing everyone but it is all canned responses. They will be drummed out of office if they shove this down our throats. Hopefully the seniors will take the lead since we really might get shafted.

Love, Maggie

Lucy · Post by **Lucy** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 8:51 pm

That's exactly why I think a more personal approach would have more impact, if any at all, since they just COUNT yahs and nays, basically. It would be nice if they listened to new ideas from their constituents!

Perhaps a real, handwritten letter -- not sounding angry or anything -- requesting that whatever route they chose, they include the biopsies on the routine screenings, and especially for persons reporting any diarrhea. After all, "IBS" costs this country bigtime!

In general, if they get enough letters from people with specific requests for inclusions in coverage for specific diseases or conditions that they or people they care about have or have had, and then, figure the total cost of including those things in a federal plan, I think they should have sticker shock enough to back down, but nothing surprises me anymore. I should think that they wouldn't want to step on the toes of all the people those individual letters would represent, but then, I'm not a politician. I have heard that each type of contact represents a certain no. of votes the way they look at things, so our individual letters would, therefore, count more than just one vote.

It would probably be better to "package" individual requests separate from more general concerns, just to make sure the specific requests even get read by anyone, so that makes two versions we'll need to write for each representative, congressman, and the White House.

Wow, I'd better work on editing mine -- that first unedited message was awful!!

Yours, Luce