Colon Cancer Screening

First of all keep in mind that most health insurance will cover the cost of screening for colon cancer. This includes Medicare and Medicaid, as well as many private insurers. You can check with your health plan to see which tests are covered.

If you need to pay for colon cancer screening out-of-pocket, stool cards (fecal occult blood tests) are the least expensive option. A kit can be purchased at a local pharmacy for less than $20. Abnormal results from stool cards will usually require follow-up testing with colonoscopy.

Flexible sigmoidoscopy and barium enema are moderately expensive. However, each is less expensive than colonoscopy. Combining sigmoidoscopy or barium enema with stool cards will increase the likelihood of detecting colon cancer.