Screening Rate Changes

Colon cancer screening rates rise, but mammograms plateau.
ABC World News (7/6, story 7, 2:10, Sawyer) reported, "There's a new study...showing some real progress in all of us, and our health." According to data released by the CDC, "more people are getting checked for colon cancer." Approximately "two out of three adults age 50 and older are getting screened regularly," but that "means more than 20 million of us still are not."
However, the "number of mammograms has remained unchanged," the CBS Evening News (7/6, story 8, 0:25, Couric) reported. Yet, the "CDC said...the lives of at least 10,000 Americans could have been saved last year alone if they'd gotten breast and colon cancer screenings."
The newly passed healthcare law, the CDC's Thomas Frieden pointed out, could help change those numbers, however, the Wall Street Journal (7/7, Dooren) reports. In fact, it will require insurers to cover recommended screenings. Frieden added, "We know that many, many lives could be saved, particularly with an increase in colon-cancer screening."
The "data come from the state-level 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey," the Baltimore Sun (7/6) "Picture of Health" blog reported. The figures reveal that "colorectal screening increased from 52 percent in 2002 to 63 percent in 2008," the CNN (7/6, Curley) "The Chart" blog reported. Investigators also noted that "adults with health insurance had higher colorectal screening rates than the uninsured: 66 percent compared with 36 percent." In addition, "racial and ethnic minorities...showed lower screening rates, except for black" Americans.