LINCOLN- On Tuesday, the Nebraska Legislature voted 36-6 to advance a bill Sen. Carol Blood introduced to "close a loophole" in the Affordable Care Act. The ACA, according to Blood, intended to require coverage of colonoscopies as well as the removal of any polyps found during the procedure. However, a loophole makes the removal of a polyp "diagnostic" and a procedure whose cost is the patient's responsibility.

Under Sen. Blood's LB829, polyp removal, a biopsy, and lab tests will be covered by insurance. Omaha Sen. Kathleen Kauth opposed the bill, questioning whether requiring insurers to cover polyp removals would increase costs for all patients. Blood argued that those who refuse to pay the current extra fees can face life-threatening consequences.

Lincoln Sen. Eliot Bostar, in response to Sen. Kauth, said costs would be saved if a patient's polyps are removed, since this would likely prevent future instances of cancer. Blood cited the fact that colon cancer kills 53,000 Americans each year, and that it is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths.

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