In an editorial in the same issue, Dr. Daniel Podolsky of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston advocated colonoscopies for everybody 50 and over. Counting the cost This has given rise to a heated debate among the experts. Congress is working on legislation to expand Medicare coverage of screening colonoscopy, but there's no certainty that it will pass. If no one in your family has had the disease, that doesn't mean you won't get it. At a minimum, ask your doctor for a fecal blood test annually and a sigmoidoscopy every five years.
Insurance covers both tests.
But also talk with your doctor about colonoscopy. It requires more preparation and a longer recovery time than sigmoidoscopy, and poses a greater risk of complications. If you can afford to pay for a colonoscopy, you may decide that the added benefit is worth the money and risk. If you can't afford that, the combination of fecal blood test and sigmoidoscopy is still an excellent option.