McConnell gets hemp in Farm Bill, after argument with Iowa senator about inclusion of cannabinoids, including CBD oil

McConnell at the meeting (Associated Press photo by Jacquelyn Martin)

The Senate version of the Farm Bill contains Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's legalization of industrial hemp, but not without a dissent from another powerful senator who says it goes too far on a health-care issue.

The Senate Agriculture Committee passed the bill 20-1, and McConnell vowed to bring it to the Senate floor before July 4. The lone "no" vote came from Judiciary Committee Chair Charles Grassley of Iowa.

"Grassley’s objections to the farm bill appeared to be largely based on its language around industrial hemp," reports Marianne Goodland of Colorado Politics. Grassley "said he believed any language around industrial hemp ought not be included in the Farm Bill, but rather belongs in another bill that would go through his committee."

At issue is McConnell's language defining hemp, which includes cannabinoids, including CBD oil, which is used for a variety of medical conditions, especially in epileptic children. "However, the Food and Drug Administration has not approved those uses," Goodland notes. "Grassley argued that CBD oil is not an industrial hemp product."

The bill would let “any snake oil salesman” sell CBD without safety assurances, putting children at risk, Grassley argued. McConnell "said the bill incorporated suggestions made by the Judiciary Committee, the FDA and the Justice Department, including that the agriculture secretary could consult with the attorney general on state plans for hemp production. The bill, McConnell added, does not make hemp a legal commodity, and it also improves the integrity of the hemp program, to ensure that states and Indian tribes conduct proper oversight over their own hemp programs."

McConnell, making a rare appearance as a member of the committee, "said hemp could fill the market niche left when farmers in his state stopped growing tobacco," AgWeek reports, quoting him: “Younger farmers in my state are particularly interested in going in this direction, so I think it’s time for America.”

Newspaper editor writes about dealing with depression

By Jesse Jones

The Eagle Post

Don’t read this alone in the dark. That thing under your bed might get anxious. The monsters that come to life when the lights go out would know. The dead-eyed woman on the ceiling above you might get angry.

Here goes anyway: There are things in this world far scarier than an imagination’s creations.

I slept in the same bed as my mother until I was 9 years old. Nothing terrified me more than unexplained noises, the bleak emptiness of my dark room and the creatures my mind imagined lived there.

In middle school I got punched in the face for the first time. I remember it, clear as day. The kid in front of me in math class warned me, said I had better quit bumping his chair or else. I forgot his warning. He didn’t.

The thing about getting really hit for the first time is that it dispels the anticipation. Before, you worry. Will it hurt? Would I black out, and everyone make fun of me forever?

I rubbed my cheek for a couple days, but I lost the fear of being hit. It wasn’t as bad as I imagined.

There was no blow to take to get rid of my fear of the dark. Goosebumps would raise on my skin at the thought, and a little shiver would make its way down my spine. The things I imagined lived in that blackness terrified me. I grew up, I learned to sleep in my own bed. I knew there wasn’t really anything awaiting me just beyond my vision. The fear, however, took longer to go away.

In my first house out on my own, the air conditioning flipped off for whatever reason six times a week. Turning it back on meant a trip down to the unfinished basement to the circuit breaker. There were no windows. Weird noises were commonplace. It was a nightmare’s playground.

I would have been OK, except every single light was set up to be turned off down there. There were no switches at the top of the stairs. It was a horror movie opening credits death waiting to happen. I was in my early 20s, but it didn’t stop the dread. It didn’t stop me from flicking the switch and racing up the stairs in pitch blackness as fast as my dignity would allow.

I don’t fear the darkness anymore. It’s comfortable, it’s quiet. Wanna know my secret to not being afraid of the things that go bump in the night?

Depression.

It’s hard to talk about. It was tough to write that word. There’s a stigma that’s associated with people who have had it. However, it seems someone famous is killing themselves every other day. It’s not talked about, but it happens just as much in the southern Pennyrile.

I hope you’re reading these words. Bad times can overcome anyone. I remember the first time I sat alone in the dark and wishing, hoping that there was a boogeyman just around the corner. I was struggling with an emptiness inside, a feeling of worthlessness and terrifying thoughts about the bottle of pills in my lap. I was more afraid of being inside my own head than the supernatural. I remember taking a nighttime walk on a poorly-lit street and seeing a car that didn’t see me at first veer into the lane I was walking in. I didn’t move. In some ways that still haunt me, I wanted it to hit me. I never thought about the fantastical things my head used to imagine would have been on that road.

I don’t write this for you to feel sorry for me. Depression is an incredibly common ailment many of us struggle with. Like cancer, it doesn’t care what color you are, what kind of car you own or how successful you are. It takes away who you are.

I don’t know you. But these feelings you have, you’re not alone in them. There is no small victory that can make that go away. I’m sorry.

Even if you have no one to talk to, though, remember that there are options. There are people to help. Before you take that final step, please call 1-800-273-8255. Personally, I used their online, anonymous chat to talk through the worst of my times. Depression isn’t a competition, but I know if I can survive, there’s hope for you too. You don’t have to be afraid of the darkness, even if it’s just the darkness inside your own head. That’s this week’s small victory.

Jesse Jones is editor of The Eagle Post, the Army newspaper for Fort Campbell.

Interior Department official met with coal industry lobbyists before canceling study on health effects of surface mining in Appalachia

A top official in the Department of the Interior met repeatedly with coal-industry lobbyists shortly before canceling a study on the public health effects of surface mining, Jimmy Tobias reports for the Pacific Standard.

Katharine MacGregor

Katharine MacGregor, the principal deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management, oversees the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. OSM hired the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine to do the study, but Interior abruptly suspended it last August, as researchers were about to hold their final public meetings on it. The meetings were held, and researchers said they expected to continue after a budget review that Interior had cited as the reason for the suspension, but then Ken Ward Jr. of the Charleston Gazette-Mail revealed that the study was the only one suspended. Later, the contract was canceled and the research committee disbanded.

Tobias writes: "Emails obtained through a FOIA request show that Katharine MacGregor had a hand in ensuring the health study's cancellation. Indeed, she appears to have been keenly interested in the matter." She wrote the OSM director Aug. 17: I thought you told me on the phone that this was postponed?" The next day, OSM suspended the work.

“This is the very essence of what we mean when we describe Appalachia as a sacrifice zone,” said Bob Kincaid, president of Coal River Mountain Watch, a group fighting mountaintop-removal mining. Bo Webb, coordinator of the Appalachian Community Health Emergency campaign, which helped prompt West Virginia officials to ask for the study, said in the same press release, "It’s clear now that canceling this study was a gift to the coal industry.."

Tobias reports that "in the months leading up to the cancellation," MacGregor's calendar "shows that she had no fewer than six meetings with the most powerful mining players in the country. In both April and May of 2017, she met with the National Mining Association. In March and June, meanwhile, she met with Arch Coal, a long-time practitioner of mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia."

The evidence is circumstantial, but Tobias sees a broader trend in MacGregor's calendars: "At the same time she held a mere handful of meetings—fewer than 10, according to my tally—with conservation organizations like The Wilderness Society and Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters." The calendar sshow that she "appears to have a habit of meeting repeatedly with industries and organizations that later receive favorable treatment from agencies she helps oversee," Tobias writes. An Interior spokesperson told him MacGregor is "happy to make time to meet with whomever requests a meeting," including conservation groups. "We have always welcomed input from all citizens and will continue to listen to ideas and concerns from anyone interested in sharing them."

McConnell says whole Senate backs continued coverage of pre-existing conditions, contrary to Justice Dept. stance in lawsuit

Sen. Mitch McConnell (NBC News image)

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky says "Everybody that I know in the Senate is in favor of maintaining coverage for preexisting conditions," even though the Trump administration is arguing in court against the Obamacare law that requires such coverage. “There is no difference of opinion about that whatsoever,” McConnell said Tuesday, June 12, when asked about the case.

Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander of Tennessee said the Department of Justice's stance in a federal lawsuit in Texas is “as far-fetched as any I've ever heard.” In a prepared statement, the Tennessee senator said, “There’s no way Congress is going to repeal protections for people with pre-existing conditions who want to buy health insurance. 

Alexander "rejected the notion that Republican lawmakers intended a broader swipe at the law when they repealed the individual mandate" in Obamacare, Inside Health Policy reports.

On June 7, the department declined to fully defend the law from a suit by 20 Republican-led states and asked the judge "to invalidate the preexisting-conditions ban as of Jan. 1, 2019, when the individual mandate penalty goes away," IHP reports.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said earlier Tuesday, during a Senate hearing, that the Justice Department has taken “constitutional and legal position, not a policy position,” Anna Edney and Steven T. Dennis report for Bloomberg News: "Still, the distinction is political. Republicans were quick to blame Democrats for failing to vote for an Obamacare stabilization package earlier this year that started off as bipartisan but ended up including restrictions on abortion coverage that scuttled the deal."

Democrats' reaction to McConnell's comments ranged from bemused to skeptical to outraged. “Lie of the year. Hands down,” said Brad Woodhouse, campaign director for Protect Our Care, a pro-Obamacare group.

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, ranking Democrat on the health committee, said, “If every Republican now supports protecting preexisting conditions, that’s news to very sick patients across the country who fought back again and again as Republicans tried to go back to the days when a preexisting condition meant you might not be eligible for insurance, or could be priced out completely -- especially since many Republicans continue to want to pass harmful bills to do exactly that.”

Half of Americans 30 and older, and almost half of Kentuckians that age, have advanced gum disease that can cause tooth loss

A person with periodontitis (Medical News Today image)

Half of Americans aged 30 and older have a disease of the gums called periodontitis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If left untreated, gum disease can not only lead to tooth loss, but can also lead to other health problems like heart disease and diabetes.

The CDC data found that 45 percent of Kentuckians aged 30 and older had periodontitis, with nearly 9 percent of those cases considered severe. The state ranks 23rd in percentage of population with the disease and 22nd in percentage with the severe version.

Periodontal disease is an inflammation of the gum tissues and the bone that supports the teeth. It is usually caused by bacteria that is found in a sticky substance called plaque that builds up on a person's teeth along the gum line. If plaque is allowed to harden, it becomes tartar, and can spread below the gum line, which can then only be removed by a dental health professional.

Symptoms of early gum disease, called gingivitis, include red, swollen or tender gums that may bleed when you brush. In this early stage, gum disease can usually be resolved by brushing your teeth more efficiently, using a fluoride toothpaste, using an antibacterial mouthwash and flossing daily.

But if left untreated, it can advance to a more serious condition called periodontitis, where the inner layer of the gum and bone pull away from the teeth and form pockets, which can collect debris and become infected, according to WebMD. At this advanced stage, gum tissue and the bones that support the teeth are destroyed, which can put a person at great risk of tooth loss.

Research has also found links between periodontal disease and heart disease, diabetes, dementia, rheumatoid arthritis and premature births. And though the researchers don't know exactly why this is, they think it is related to the bacteria and inflammation that is associated with advanced gum disease, says WebMD.

At the point gingivitis has progressed to periodontitis, it's time to see a dentist who may refer you to a specialist.

“Periodontists are trained to identify and address periodontal disease," Diksha Katwal, a diplomate at the American Board of Periodontology and pre-doctoral director at the University of Louisville School of Dentistry, said in a UofL news release. "These dental professionals exam each tooth above and below the gum line to determine if a person has the condition. ”

WebMD says anyone with the following symptoms should see their dentist:

• changes in the way your teeth fit together
• formation of deep pockets between teeth and gums
• gums that bleed during and after toothbrushing
• loose or shifting teeth
• persistent bad breath or bad taste in the mouth
• receding gums
• red, swollen, or tender gums

Katwal adds that it's important to visit a dentist at least once a year for a checkup, and more frequently if you have periodontitis.

Frankfort newspaper looks at county's syringe exchange

https://www.state-journal.com/2018/06/08/focus-syringe-exchange-program-reaching-hundreds/

Farmers' market in Columbia expects to serve 2,500 children at Hungry Kids Café on Saturdays this summer

Kasey Blue “KB” Kessler, Emma Burton, and sisters Kennedy and Cadence Booth, inspect tomatoes at the D&D Longview Angus booth at the farmers' market. (Kentucky Living photo by Joe Imel)

The farmers' market in Columbia has created a Hungry Kids' Cafe that expects to serve more than 2,500 meals on Saturdays this summer, Sharon Burton reports for Kentucky Living magazine, published by the Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives.

"The vision of serving free breakfast and lunch to children came about three years ago when market coordinators noticed two little boys who frequented the market and sampled all the free food vendors made available," Burton reports. "They wondered if the boys had food on other days when the market wasn’t open."

“We have so many kids who really rely on school meals during the year,” says café coordinator Lois Cunningham told Burton. “We would see these kids who would walk around and they couldn’t buy anything.”

Burton reports, "Volunteers started out working with federal programs, but quickly learned they had their own ideas and began asking the local community to help fund the café. Now, the program relies completely on local donations." This year the café got its new name and "went from a mobile trailer to a permanent building in the corner of a city parking lot where the market is held," at the corner of Campbellsville and Merchant streets from 8 to 1 on Saturdays and 1 to 5 on Wednesdays.

The market participates in the federal nutrition programs for seniors, mothers and children, and offers "Kids Bucks," giving children $4 in coupons to buy fruits or vegetables. Market coordinator Donna Jones says the market is offering several social functions this year, including two days of “Meet the Candidates” in local elections.

Burton, editor and publisher of the Adair County Community Voice and The Farmer's Pride, the statewide agricultural newspaper, reports that the market "is as much an entertainment destination as it is a place to find fresh food. It’s been compared by some with markets in large metropolitan areas because of its variety and atmosphere. . . . The market is the center of social gatherings during the summer, even for young marketgoers."

Information on farmers' markets in Kentucky is at www.kyagr.com/marketing/farmers-market.html. Fresh produce and other foods are also available at Kentucky Certified Roadside Farm Markets; information on them is at www.kyfb.com/federation/markets.

Celebrity suicides raise concern about 'contagion;' Ky. rate higher than most states; experts say we need to talk about it openly

Association For Suicide Prevention chart, based on data to 2016; click on it to view a larger version

"The suicides of fashion designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain just days apart . . . have mental health professionals worried about the potential for what’s known as a 'contagion' effect, but at the same time they say media coverage may lead people to seek help," Marek Mazurek and Laney Ruckstuhl report for The Boston Globe.

“Anytime there’s a public figure, it affects a great many people,” Debbie Helms, co-chair of the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention’s Northeast region, told the Globe. “Celebrities impact the whole country.” Calls to suicide-prevention centers rose after the two deaths.

Kentucky has a higher-than-average suicide rate, greater than five of the seven adjoining states (the exceptions being West Virginia and Missouri). The rate has increased in almost every state since 1999, to the point that suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., with 123 per day, more than the number killed in automobile accidents, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Kentucky, suicide ranks 11th as a cause of death.

Kentucky's suicide hotspots are Marshall County, which had 49 from 2012 through 2016, and Grayson County, which had 35. Per 100,000 population, respectively, the counties' suicide rates were 29.2 and 26.2. The rate for the entire state was 16.79, 20th in the nation.

Suicides among teenagers are an increasing concern, especially in Kentucky. The number doubled between 2014 and 2016, from 19 to 44. The 2016 Kentucky Incentives for Prevention survey, given at participating Kentucky schools in even-numbered grades from 6 to 12, found that 15.4 percent of Kentucky high-school sophomores said they had "seriously considered" attempting suicide in the 12 months prior to the survey. The rates tended to be highest in Western Kentucky.

Young people have the greatest risk of being influenced by widely reported suicides, Boston psychiatrist Blaise Aguirre, who specializes in adolescents at risk of suicide, told the Globe. “When you have these young people already thinking about that and some of their idols are dying by suicide, it sort of — in their thinking — makes it more acceptable in a certain kind of way,” he said. “It seems like somewhere between 14 and 24, in that age range, they are particularly vulnerable.”

The "suicide contagion effect" seems to have been heightened by the rise of social media, Aguirre said: “For many years, if somebody famous died by suicide, you might read about it later in the newspaper, but young people weren’t necessarily in the habit of reading the papers. Now, there is the ability of this news to spread rapidly.”

Aguirre and other experts said that makes it all the more important to speak openly about suicide and reduce the stigma that often surrounds mental-health issues, "and making sure loved ones know they aren’t alone," the Globe reports. For warning signs of suicide, go to suicide.org.

Here's a sampling of views from health-care providers about health care and health in rural Kentucky

Louisville-based Medical News recently interviewed five health-care providers in Kentucky about the challenges that face rural health care: "Economic factors, cultural and social differences, educational shortcomings, sheer isolation with limited access to transportation and lack of recognition by legislators." Here are some excerpts:

Poverty and drugs compound each other, said Dr. Philip Hurley of Owensboro: "Whereas these addictions can affect all socioeconomic brackets, the effects on the poor tend to be more devastating as family and public support are often not as readily available. Obesity is another challenge. Sadly, our country has the dubious distinction of being the first country in history where the poor are obese."

Some noted the difficulty of attracting health-care providers to rural areas, but Dr. LaTonia Sweet of Molina Health in Louisville said, "Nowhere else can a physician use the same depth and breadth of skills needed as in rural healthcare. A physician can make a huge impact on the health of a community in rural areas."

"Rural areas work continuously to recruit talent for health-care delivery," said Dr. Brent Wright of the University of Louisville. "In addition to recruitment issues, there are continuous regulatory and technology demands that strain existing resources (electronic medical records, quality initiatives and value-based care). These initiatives drain resources from shrinking margins."

Hurley said electronic health records and telemedicine have helped rural Kentucky, "but most EHR records are close to garbage. It is often very difficult to glean useful, pertinent information. The electronic imaging and the ability to view it remotely is helpful."

Wright was more optimistic: "Telemedicine will see a resurgence as we all become more mobile through our smart devices. Brick and mortar healthcare will not be as necessary as bandwidth and connectivity increases. This is great for rural health because it means less travel and more access."

Asked what changes they would like to see to improve health care in rural Kentucky, Susan Starling of Marcum and Wallace Hospital in Irvine said "improved access to mental health, which has become very centralized in the urban areas; local access to alcohol and drug treatment centers; and support of critical access hospital programs and other federal programs that support rural health care."

Dr. Patrick Withrow of Paducah said he has been shocked by high suicide rates among farmers and other rural residents, which "need to be addressed. The wide geographic population and resultant limited mental and medical health resources in rural areas is a problem. Telemedicine may be a way to improve access to care. Also, the expansion of medical training to the more rural areas (Morehead, Bowling Green, Glasgow and northeast Kentucky) will improve access to care."

Elizabethtown expands smoking ban to e-cigarettes

The Elizabethtown City Council has expanded its 12-year-old ban ban on smoking in public places to include electronic cigarettes, at the request of the Lincoln Trail District Health Department.

“We approached the council about banning e-cigs because they still contain toxic gases and tiny particles that irritate the eyes and lungs,” health department spokesman Donny Gill said. “Also, the vapor does contain nicotine and is addictive and contributes to cardiovascular problems.”

"Gill said studies also have shown secondhand e-cigarette vapor is dangerous," Mary Alford reports for The News-Enterprise. "He said the vapor contains gases that contribute to heart and lung disease. Gill said children exposed to the vapor over time can develop asthma, colds and eczema."

Gill said, “The majority of the research has indicated that e-cigs are harmful to both the user and the bystander. So, when people use these devices to get around the existing smoking laws, they are still putting the health of others at risk. E-cigs and vape devices are not a safer alternative to traditional smoking. Also, they are not approved as a method to quit smoking. The vast majority of e-cig users also still use traditional cigarettes.”

Bowling Green hospital no longer releases information about births, in an effort to keep infants safe from possible abduction

The Medical Center at Bowling Green no longer releases information about births to the news media or through social media, following recommendations from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

“This is a decision we recently made for safety reasons,” Jill Payne, executive vice president and chief nursing officer of the large hospital, told Don Sergent of the Bowling Green Daily News. “We’re always assessing and updating our practices.”

Parents who still want to announce the birth of their baby can still do so in the newspaper.

“We will still give people the opportunity to announce the births online and in print,” Joe Imel, director of media operations for the Daily News, told Sergent. “For more than 150 years we’ve listed births, deaths and anniversaries. We still want to offer the community the opportunity to announce these proud moments.”

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children made this recommendation as an attempt to reduce the number of child abductions.

Graphic from National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; to view a larger version, click on it.

An analysis by the center, which it clearly states is not a scientific study, concluded that there have been 325 confirmed infant abductions in the U.S. since 1965, with 43 percent from health-care facilities, 42 percent from homes and 14 percent from other locations.

A map on the center's website says Kentucky has had four cases of infant abduction in that 53-year period.

The center recommends not posting a mother’s or infant’s full name where it is visible, and not using full names in announcements to the news media, Payne told Sergent. She added that the hospital is working to educate parents about this safety concern.

“We’re starting to inform folks now,” she said. “We’re making parents aware and educating them about using social media. It’s a great way to publicize these things, but sometimes it can be a dangerous place to put information.”

The Kentucky Hospital Association says it does not track such policies of the 47 Kentucky hospitals that offer maternity services. (The state has 92 acute-care hospitals.) Mike Rust, president and CEO, said KHA hasn't taken a position on the issue, and decisions are up to individual hospitals.

Cancer Society says screening for colon cancer should start at 45, not 50; Ky. leads the nation in colon cancer and deaths from it

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

In response to rising rates of colorectal cancer among younger people, the American Cancer Society now recommends that adults with a normal risk for colon cancer get their first screening at age 45, instead of 50.

The change was prompted by an ACS study published last year in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, which found that since the mid-1990s colon-cancer rates among Americans between the ages of 20 and 54 have been steadily increasing, between 0.5 percent and 2 percent per year. Rectal cancer has risen more rapidly, 2 to 3 percent a year.

"Millennials have double the risk of developing colon cancer and quadruple the risk of rectal cancer for reasons that are not yet 100 percent clear," Amanda Smart, executive director of the Colon Cancer Prevention Project, said in a news release about the new recommendations.

Graphic: Colon Cancer Prevention Project

Nationally, colon cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancers that affect both men and women with 43 percent of "young onset patients" diagnosed between the ages of 45 and 49, according to the release.

Kentucky leads the nation in colon cancer, but is nationally recognized for getting its citizens screened for it, moving from 49th to 19th in the past 15 years. However, only 65 percent of Kentuckians 50 and older have been screened. So, there's more work to do -- especially in a state that ranks fourth for colon cancer deaths.

Smart added, "No matter your age, if you are experiencing symptoms such as rectal bleeding, unexplained anemia, changes in bowel habits, unexplained weight loss or gain, or unexplained abdominal pain, please don’t wait to be screened!”

Dr. Whitney Jones, a Louisville gastroenterologist and founder of CCPP, emphasized that, while this policy change is a huge step forward, it only applies to individuals with average risk who do not have symptoms.

“Those with a family history of colon or rectal cancer, or advanced adenomatous colon polyps, should check with the doctor about on-time screening, which begins at 40 but could be necessary even earlier," he said in the release.

Options for screening include a colonoscopy, which is recommended every 10 years for people at average risk of the disease, a yearly stool test that looks for hidden blood, a DNA-based stool test done every three years, virtual colonoscopy and a flexible sigmoidoscopy, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Colon cancer usually starts from precancerous polyps in the colon or rectum, which can be removed before they turn into cancer. Screening also allows for early detection of the cancer, which is 90 percent curable when detected early.

In Kentucky, those with commercial insurance will be immediately eligible to receive "on-time" screening at 45, says the release.

Kentucky Medicaid has no age restrictions on colonoscopies for its fee-for-service members. The co-payment requirement is cancelled if it is billed as a preventive service for people 50 and older, but the state Department for Medicaid Servicessays it is working to have this changed to 45. The department said managed-care organizations will develop their own policies for their members.

Smart added that the new guideline may cause some confusion for doctors and patients, and stressed that it will be important for providers to enter the appropriate insurance code to make sure younger patients don't get charged for the exam.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires colon cancer screenings be entirely covered by insurance. Kentucky has also passed a law to clarify that a fecal test to screen for colon cancer, and any follow-up colonoscopy, are also covered by insurance.

Smart said her Colon Cancer Prevention Project can help patients who have been wrongly charged.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines still recommend initial screening for colon cancer at age 50 for those with average risk.

Laurie McGinley of The Washington Post reports that the task force decided several years ago to not lower its recommended age because it concluded that the data was mixed and that a younger starting age would only proved a "modest" benefit. She adds that the cancer society, by extending the analysis used by the task force and incorporating recent data on the rising incidence of the disease among younger people, came to a different conclusion that shows the life-saving potential of earlier screening.