Colon cancer rates are rising in young Americans, but insurance barriers are making screening harder

A man holds a photograph of Chadwick Boseman, who died from colon cancer at age 43.& Frederic J. Brown via AFP/Getty Images by Andrea Shin, University of California, Los Angeles More than 53,000 Americans are projected to die from colorectal cancer this year. Although colorectal cancer is the second-most common cause of cancer deaths in the United States, it can be cured if caught early. Detecting a tumor as soon as possible can help you get treatment as soon as possible, giving you the best chance for survival. In my work as a gastroenterologist, I treat patients from every background and walk of life. Uniting them are a growing number of insurance barriers threatening access to timely care. All too often, payers take a long time to make coverage determinations, or they even deny them outright. With the alarming rise of colorectal cancer diagnoses among Americans under 50, it is more important than ever for people to know their cancer risk and when to get screened. Colon cancer symptoms usually don’t arise until later stages of the disease, making routine screening imperative for prevention. Valiantsin Suprunovich/iStock via Getty Images Here are common questions I and other gastroenterologists get from patients...