New age guidelines for Colorectal screening.
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and you may have heard by now that the new recommended age to start colorectal cancer screening has been lowered from age 50 to 45. Both our Base and Buy-up plans consider preventative colonoscopy at 100% of covered charges when provided by an in-network provider starting at the new recommended age.
Diagnostic or preventive?
There is difference on how colonoscopy screenings are covered by insurance based on the screening type. Knowing the difference between the two types of colonoscopies before scheduling your colonoscopy, can help prevent unexpected costs. Below is a “general rule of thumb”; always consult with your physician and feel free to reach out to Med-Pay, our insurance carrier for a more information.
- A preventive or screening colonoscopy is performed on a patient who is asymptomatic (no gastrointestinal symptoms either past or present), is 45 years of age or older, and has no personal or family history of colon polyps and/or colon cancer.
- A diagnostic colonoscopy is performed on a patient who has gastrointestinal symptoms (e.g. rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, diarrhea) or who has past and/or present polyps or gastrointestinal disease (e.g. Crohn’s Colitis, etc.).
- If polyps are found, removed or biopsied during a screening colonoscopy, the insurance claim may be recategorized from a screening colonoscopy to a diagnostic colonoscopy with inclusion diagnostic coding (screening benefit may no longer apply).
Critical illness insurance benefits
A potential cancer diagnosis is scary, but early detection can save lives. The Critical illness insurance is of value for both employees and dependents. Employees and/or their dependents enrolled in the Allstate Critical illness plan are eligible to receive a $100 wellness reimbursement for covered wellness/preventative care related activities, including screening colonoscopy. Those enrolled in the plan who receive an invasive cancer diagnosis would receive a benefit of either $10,000 (plan 1) or $20,000 (plan2). Funds are payable directly to the employee and can be used to offset medical costs, or may be utilized in anyway you see fit (e.g. Auto/Home payments, groceries, etc).
Plan Enrollment
Enrollment/Changes can only be made to the Medical and Critical illness plans yearly during open enrollment (November 1- December 1), or within 31 days of a qualifying event.