As a cancer survivor, I know the importance of cancer screenings. Thanks to a colonoscopy, which removed two precancerous polyps 15 years ago, I was spared the challenge of fighting colon cancer during or after treatment for my breast cancer.

That’s why I’m passionate about cancer prevention. March is Colorectal Cancer Month — a great time to highlight the importance of lifesaving colorectal cancer screenings. This year, nearly 50,000 Americans will die from colorectal cancer, which is tragic because it’s one of the most preventable cancers if recommended screenings are followed.

As an American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network volunteer, I’m asking Sen. Maria Cantwell to cosponsor the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act this year. This legislation fixes a Medicare glitch for seniors who undergo screening colonoscopies. Medicare covers routine colonoscopies but if a polyp is found and removed during the procedure, patients can wake up to an unexpected bill. This loophole only applies to Medicare and needs to be eliminated.

This March, please join me in asking Sen. Cantwell to cosponsor this legislation to remove an unfair financial barrier preventing many seniors from accessing this lifesaving procedure.

Eunice Hostetter,

Kirkland