20+ Colorectal Cancer Alliance Screen Smart Partners Encourage Secretary Kennedy to Uphold USPSTF Goal to Improve Health

Recent reports indicate that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to alter the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), whose members recommend which critical preventive health screenings are covered by insurers at no cost to Americans. 

The Colorectal Cancer Alliance (Alliance), the nation’s leading nonprofit dedicated to ending this preventable cancer, and health partners in its Screen Smart initiative, applaud the Administration’s stated commitment to preventing chronic diseases, including cancer, and its goal to Make America Healthy Again. The Alliance and more than 20 of its Screen Smart partners share the Secretary’s passion for preventing chronic disease, and encourage him to uphold the vital role of USPSTF experts, while protecting preventive services, like colorectal cancer screening, that keep Americans healthy and save countless lives. The Alliance’s Screen Smart initiative champions better data, smarter policies, and practical tools that align with the needs of patients and providers. 

“We are optimistic that any changes to the USPSTF will align with the Secretary and President’s mission to Make America Healthy Again,” said Michael Sapienza, CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. “We’re hopeful they will reinforce the tremendous progress we’ve made in prevention and early detection through no-cost colorectal cancer screenings that have saved countless American lives.”

The Alliance and its partners support these core principles:

• The USPSTF decision-making should continue to be a transparent and evidence-based process by individuals with a proven science background in preventive services.
• Existing USPSTF cancer screening protections should be upheld.
• The distinct role of the USPSTF needs to be protected. The USPSTF assesses the population level impact of any given recommendation by looking at the total benefits of a preventive service and comparing it with the total harms. This is distinct from the FDA role of assessing the safety and efficacy of a test.

The USPSTF is responsible for life-saving decisions, such as lowering the colorectal cancer screening age from 50 to 45 in 2021, in response to the rising rates of the disease in those under age 50. Between 2010 and 2016, eliminating cost sharing was associated with a 17% drop in colorectal cancer incidence, preventing approximately 65,000 of the 290,000 deaths that would have otherwise occurred. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the nation, yet it can be prevented with timely screening. The Alliance and its partners recommend that everyone knows the risk factors and gets screened at the recommended age of 45, or sooner for those at high risk. Visit getscreened.org to learn more. 

This Colorectal Cancer Alliance statement is supported by:

• American College of Gastroenterology

• American Gastroenterological Association

• American Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons

• AMSURG

• C4 (California Colorectal Cancer Coalition)

• Colon Cancer Coalition

• Colon Cancer Prevention Project

• Colorectal Cancer Equity Foundation

• Exact Sciences

• Freenome

• Geneoscopy

• GH Foundation

• Guardant Health

• Northwell Health Cancer Institute

• Peter S. Liang, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

• Red Thred Solutions

• Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates, Inc. (SGNA)

• Sujha Subramanian, Ph.D., Implenomics

• Swati G. Patel, M.D., M.S.

• Thomas F. Imperiale, M.D., Indiana University Medical Center

• Universal DX

• Worldclass Foundation

About the Colorectal Cancer Alliance

The Colorectal Cancer Alliance empowers a nation of passionate and determined allies to prevent, treat, and overcome colorectal cancer in their lives and communities. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Alliance advocates for prevention through initiatives like LEAD FROM BEHIND, magnifies support with BlueHQ, and accelerates research through Project Cure CRC. We are the largest national nonprofit dedicated to colorectal cancer, and we exist to end this disease in our lifetime. For more information, visit colorectalcancer.org.  

Media Contact
Emily Blasi
eblasi@ccalliance.org
(202) 971-9964