Colorectal cancer screening is a preventive service that the Health Insurance Marketplace and many other health plans are required to cover. Medicare covers several colorectal cancer screening tests for its beneficiaries. However, Medicare and some insurance companies currently do not pay for the costs of virtual colonoscopy. Specific information about Medicare benefits for colorectal cancer screening is available on the Medicare website.
A colonoscopy to follow up on a screening test with a positive result, such as an abnormal stool test or even a lesion detected on a screening colonoscopy, is considered to be a diagnostic exam and may not be covered (or not covered as fully as a screening colonoscopy). Some insurers consider a screening colonoscopy that reveals a polyp that must be removed to be a diagnostic exam and charge accordingly. People should check with their health insurance provider to determine their colorectal cancer screening coverage and what their out-of-pocket expenses may be if the test finds an abnormality that needs to be followed up.