Colorectal cancer is the nation’s 2nd deadliest. Why is my insurer making it harder to prevent?

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, a time to understand the symptoms of the nation’s #2 cancer killer, the steps you can take to reduce your risk, and the barriers that some insurance companies are erecting that threaten patient access to the care that could one day save your life.

As someone who has lived with the symptoms of ulcerative colitis since a young age, my risk of getting colorectal cancer is six times higher than the average person. That is why letting people know their options is so important to me — and why I’m passionate about breaking down insurance barriers that keep patients from accessing the best treatments for their conditions in a timely manner.

Last year, over 50,000 Americans died from colorectal cancer, and that number is rapidly rising among adults under age 50. Tens of thousands of Minnesotans have died from the disease during the past few decades. Anyone can develop the disease — especially if you have risk factors such as a family history of colorectal cancer, smoking, poor diet, being overweight or obese. As a Black woman, I am acutely aware of how one’s racial or ethnic background may also influence whether you get colorectal cancer. Across the U.S., Black and Hispanic people are disproportionately at risk of getting the disease and dying from it.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Early detection gives you the best chance of survival, and all Americans are recommended to get screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 45. While your doctor can help determine what screening option is best for you, many people, myself included, undergo regular colonoscopies, which are safe and effective and can help your doctor remove precancerous polyps. Research shows that one-third of colorectal cancer deaths can be prevented with access to routine screening.

But as a patient, getting the care you need can be daunting. Over the years, it has felt like a continuous battle against bad insurance policies just to get the coverage for the care I need.

My insurer forced me to use less-effective treatments for years due to their counter-intuitive step therapy policy. Indeed, insurance barriers have been a serious detriment to my health. Only after a routine colonoscopy showed my colon was about to rupture did my insurance company finally agree to cover the biologic medicine my doctor said I needed.

Despite these many challenges, I’ve been lucky so far to have avoided prior authorization requirements, which give my insurer the power to overrule the medical decision-making of my doctor and disrupt my access to care. These cost-cutting practices that use “deny” and “delay” coverage tactics often prevent patients like me from getting the care we need when we need it.

But my luck may have run out.

That’s because my insurance company — Minnesota-based UnitedHealthcare — seems to be laying the groundwork to restrict access to colonoscopies and endoscopies.

If UHC succeeds, its 27 million commercial beneficiaries may have to wait for follow up monitoring colonoscopies, perhaps for weeks or longer. Each second is agonizing when you’re in severe pain or have blood in your stool. It is unconscionable that the insurance company I pay premiums to every month is considering making it harder for me and other patients to access the care our doctors recommend.

Having been told I have a high risk for cancer, colonoscopies are an essential part of my health care. I cannot imagine dealing with the symptoms, pain and distress that come along with chronic GI illnesses and still having to jump through insurance hoops and suffer longer wait times just to access basic care and treatments. That is why, as soon as I heard about UHC’s policy when I was dealing with proctitis, I scheduled a colonoscopy ASAP to avoid getting caught up by a delay.

As we recognize Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, I encourage all Americans to talk with their doctors about screening options to help prevent colorectal cancer. Moreover, patients should closely scrutinize their health plans and consider what they would do if their medical care was delayed or denied.

Finally, I urge UHC to immediately stop any plans for a dangerous prior authorization requirement on colonoscopies and endoscopies.

Patients like me can’t afford delays for these time-sensitive, life-saving GI procedures — nor should we have to.