Nebraska senators back bill to expand colonoscopy coverage [Video]

LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers gave first-round approval to a bill that would halt an insurance practice that deters some colonoscopy patients from having potentially cancerous tissue removed. 

Legislative Bill 829 would prevent patients from having to pay extra for services associated with colorectal cancer screenings, such as the removal of polyps — clumps of cells that line the colon and rectum that could develop into cancer. The bill passed the first of three rounds of floor debate Tuesday in a 36-6 vote. 

State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue introduced and prioritized the bill for this session. She got the idea after she received a colonoscopy last spring, and was asked if she would like physicians to remove polyps that they find, even if her insurance may not cover it.

“They want you to decide if you should keep something scary in your body, with unknown costs, which is the exact …