Nebraska

Insurance must now cover all parts of Nebraskans’ colorectal cancer screenings • Nebraska Examiner

Published

11 months ago

January 2, 2025

Insurance must now cover all parts of Nebraskans’ colorectal cancer screenings • Nebraska Examiner

LINCOLN — In the summer of 2002, Margaret Stamp returned home to Sarpy County from college four weeks after her 74-year-old grandmother, Phyllis Behm, had died from a short battle with colorectal cancer.

Stamp found her dad, Mark Behm, a former northeast Nebraska county attorney and private practice lawyer, wincing in pain on the living room floor. Stamp described him as in shape and thin. She said he looked healthy and didn’t drink or smoke.

But that weekend, Stamp’s father was doubled over, and he told his daughter, “Call your mom.”

“I’d never seen him like that,” Stamp recalled. “Never even remember him getting the flu or sick. Next thing we know, he’s in emergency surgery — it’s stage IV [colorectal] cancer, and there’s nothing they can do.”

Margaret Stamp. (Courtesy of Margaret Stamp)

Behm grew up in Olde Towne Bellevue and graduated from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 1976. He served as the Cedar County attorney from 1977 through 1993 and had a private practice in Wausa for many years, later a private practice with other attorneys in Randolph. Behm was also a 1980 delegate to the Republican National Convention for Ronald Reagan and was president of Out Front Properties, a local property management company where his daughter is now vice president.

Stamp said her father’s doctors did what they could to prolong his life and make conditions less painful, and he continued practicing law until about a week before he died in April 2004, at the age of 52.

Twenty years later, Stamp and others have successfully pushed for new state laws that expand insurance coverage for colorectal cancer screenings and associated procedures. The latest law took effect this week.

Stamp recalled losing her father as different from cancer deaths she had seen in some movies, where someone closes their eyes and goes to sleep. She said it was awful and that her father said over and over he couldn’t breathe, had muscle spasms and felt his body shutting down.

“To me, anything you can do to stop that is worth every penny,” Stamp said. “It’s worth going in, getting your colonoscopy, even though I know it can be literally a pain in the butt for some people, but you don’t want that message, ‘It’s too late,’ because then there’s nothing to do but plan the funeral.”

‘We can save lives’

Legislative Bill 829 from State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue took effect Jan. 1. It requires insurance companies to cover each “integral part” of performing a colorectal cancer screening, including:

Removing polyps (abnormal cell growths in the underlining of the colon or rectum) found as part of a colonoscopy.
Any pathology examination of a polyp biopsy.
Required specialist consultation prior to the screening.
Bowel preparation medications prescribed for the screening.
Anesthesia services performed in connection with the preventive colonoscopy.

State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue. July 25, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

Its adoption followed passage of LB 92 in 2023, which included a provision from State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln that required insurance plans to cover screening colonoscopies, as well as an annual stool-based preventative screening test designed for patients with minimal to average risk of colorectal cancer.

Nebraska is ranked in the lower half of states for colorectal cancer screening rates, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

Blood told the Nebraska Examiner she came up with the idea for her LB 829 when she was getting a colonoscopy and was handed a release before her procedure saying most insurance companies wouldn’t cover part of a colonoscopy should they find something, like a polyp, which can grow into cancer over time.

“Why would you want somebody to be put under anesthesia and look for something and just leave it there?” Blood said. “It made no sense whatsoever.”

Blood said her colonoscopy found something that her insurance didn’t cover, which left her on the hook for a procedure that cost $800 to $900.

Congress has closed this “loophole” for people on Medicare and Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act, Blood said, while others with private insurance were told they “could just go pound sand.”

“I thought, well, we can save lives with this one tweak,” Blood said of her Nebraska law, which passed 41-5 in the spring.

What is colorectal cancer?

Jungyoon Kim, Ph.D., who does colon cancer screening research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Public Health, said colorectal cancer develops in the large intestine areas like the colon or rectum that are part of the digestive system.

Most colorectal cancers start with a polyp, Kim said, most of which are benign. However, some polyps can change into cancer over time, mostly over many years, like 10-15 years.

Jungyoon Kim, Ph.D., who does colon cancer screening research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Public Health. (Courtesy of Jungyoon Kim)

Symptoms can include blood in the stool or toilet after a bowel movement, constipation over a long period, abdominal pain or cramping, changes in the shape or size of stool and sudden or unexplained weight loss. If observed, Kim said a doctor should be consulted immediately.

One of the most common misconceptions, though, is that people think they must wait to see symptoms before getting screened, Kim said, which gives polyps time to grow.

“Sometimes, if you see the symptoms and go to the doctor, it might be too late,” Kim said. “That’s why the United States Preventative Services Task Force recommends to get screening when people become 45, even if they do not have any symptoms.”

People with a family history or who have previously had cancer should be screened earlier, Kim said, such as in their 20s or 30s.

Kim said that when a doctor can find and remove polyps, it stops the growth in its tracks and is “like you’re preventing cancer before it even becomes cancer cells.”

If colorectal cancer is detected early, Kim said, the chance of the cancer being cured is about 92%.

Some cancers can be prevented by regular screening, which includes breast cancer through mammograms at the age of 40 or other screenings for cervical or lung cancer.

Disparities include rural Nebraska

According to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, early-age colorectal cancer diagnoses are on the rise. By 2030, the cancer is predicted to be the leading cause of death in people younger than 50, according to DHHS.

It is already the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women combined.

Kim said disparities exist among racial minorities, people living in rural areas, people who are low-income or people with limited access to insurance or certain doctors, who can’t access screenings.

Margaret Stamp, right, meets with State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue to talk about pending legislative proposals, including one of Blood’s bills to expand insurance coverage for colorectal cancer screening on Feb. 14, 2024. (Courtesy of Margaret Stamp)

Blood noted those disparities as a reason for the bill, as every medical procedure comes with a certain amount of risk, but that for some patients, they had to “play Russian roulette with what’s in their body” and decide whether they could pay or come back later, if needed.

“That just seems wrong, especially when you look at how much higher colon cancer rates are in our rural areas,” Blood said.

Kim and Stamp said the new law made sense. Stamp added it will help avoid costlier cancer treatments and help save lives.

Importance of prevention

Stamp said her father had found some blood in his stool about two years prior to discovering he had cancer. His doctor had said it was probably hemorrhoids but gave him an at-home testing kit just in case, as at the time he didn’t have a family history of the disease.

The day after Stamp’s father found out he had cancer, Stamp said her mother found the at-home test in her father’s drawer at home. Stamp noted that around 2000, colon cancer wasn’t talked about as much as it is today. She said some people are still embarrassed to talk about it.

Stamp, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln alum who is now 44 and lives in Omaha with her husband and two teenage daughters, got her first colonoscopy at the age of 24.

She has had three more colonoscopies since, with a fifth planned in 2026, and encouraged others to get the procedure, which she described as a “walk in the park.”

“You are taken such good care of, and it is nothing compared to getting cancer and having to have surgery or chemotherapy or one of those colostomy bags,” Stamp said.

Stamp said her father missed her getting married about six months after his death and her two daughters being born, all for not realizing he had cancer.

“It was two quick deaths in the family that got me starting to try to advocate for colon cancer and having colonoscopies,” Stamp said. “… Anything people can do for prevention, it is so worth it, because it’s one of those things you don’t see coming.”

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Nebraska

Lincoln senator slams Pillen’s push to scrap TEEOSA as Nebraska’s school funding fight escalates

Published

7 hours ago

November 21, 2025

Press Room

Lincoln senator slams Pillen’s push to scrap TEEOSA as Nebraska’s school funding fight escalates

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) — Nebraska’s education funding has been the topic of much discussion this week, from a legislature-created commission studying the funding formula to an interim study that is in-part focusing on property tax contributions.

But a pointed statement from Gov. Jim Pillen is drawing ire from some legislators, and interest from others.

Pillen issued a statement Thursday night calling for the Unicameral to abolish TEEOSA — the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act — after a $30 million overpayment to Omaha Public Schools.

TEEOSA is the funding formula used to determine state aid, by subtracting resources from needs, and it’s been in use since the 90s. But some legislators say getting rid of it is not as simple as it might sound.

Pillen, in his statement, blamed the “deaf ears” of some in the legislature for failing to pass tax reform.

Adams senator Myron Dorn told 10/11 because of valuation increases, TEEOSA has gone a different route than originally intended.

“I believe there could be definitely easier ways. There are solutions,” Dorn said. “We’ve tried to change it over the years. We haven’t had much success. Is it too complicated? Yes, it’s complicated.”

But abolishing the program outright isn’t something Lincoln Sen. Danielle Conrad will support, calling the governor’s comments “bizarre” and “unhinged.”

“It would be reckless and wrong to dismantle our school funding system without a clear, viable alternative that would ensure we can meet our students’ needs and ensure that we are good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” Conrad said.

She and Dorn clashed during an interim study hearing Thursday, where Conrad asked if protecting tax cuts for the wealthy and big corporations was more important than providing property tax relief.

Part of the funding issue is a massive budget deficit, something Conrad attributed in-part to tax cuts for the wealthy pushed by Gov. Pillen and his legislative allies in 2023.

“Gov. Pillen and his allies in the Legislature pushed forward blindly to engineer Kansas-style tax cuts that are inequitable and unsustainable and that benefit the wealthiest Nebraskans and the largest corporations,” Conrad said, “at the expense of ensuring a balanced budget and our ability to take care of critical things like roads and the university health care and child care and public education in our K-12 schools.”

Dorn added he has faith in the new School Finance Review Commission.

“I think if you give them a year or two, they’re going to come up with some very good concepts, some very good ideas in how we can make the TEEOSA formula better, or maybe have a different formula,” Dorn said.

Legislators will return Jan. 7 to begin their short, 60-day second session, with the budget expected to take up most of their time.

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Nebraska

Staff Predictions: Penn State vs. Nebraska

Published

1 day ago

November 21, 2025

Press Room

Staff Predictions: Penn State vs. Nebraska

It’s the final stretch, folks.

The Nittany Lions secured their first win in an emotional victory over Michigan State last week, bringing home the Land-Grant Trophy as well as interim head coach Terry Smith and quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer’s first career wins.

Penn State hosts Nebraska in a must-win home finale on Saturday night. With a bowl game on the line, the Nittany Lions are riding a wave of momentum in hopes of bringing down the 7-3 Cornhuskers. Here’s how some of our staffers think Penn State will do on Senior Day.

Fernando Martinez Ruiz De Esparza (7-3): Penn State 27, Nebraska 17

The Nittany Lions will go out with a bang in their final game at Beaver Stadium.

Penn State finally won a game last week after a six-game losing streak and gave interim head coach Terry Smith his first win. It continues to play well with a lot of effort and grit, and the squad just had its best performance of the season. Despite the lost season, this team is still playing with a purpose as it looks to maintain bowl eligibility. They must win the remaining two games of the season to be bowl eligible, and I think we will see a Nittany Lion team that will be hungry for the win. With home-field advantage, Senior Day, and the momentum from last week’s win, Penn State has a lot of things going right for it heading into its final home game.

As for Nebraska, Matt Rhule has done a great job in rebuilding the program. It is 7-3 this season, and has great wins over teams like Cincinnati and Northwestern. However, the Cornhuskers lost their starting quarterback, Dylan Raiola, for the rest of the season due to injury, and will play this game with the backup quarterback, TJ Lateef. While they did beat UCLA in his first start, Raoila’s injury might be too much for the team to overcome, especially playing in an atmosphere like Beaver Stadium.

This will be a good game, but I think Penn State has been playing inspiring football since Terry Smith took over, and for that reason, the Nittany Lions win this game and keep their bowl eligibility alive heading into the season finale. Matt Rhule will learn why he shouldn’t have signed that extension with Nebraska.

Michael Zeno (7-3): Penn State 28, Nebraska 21

I’ve bought back in. Terry Smith ain’t losing another game. Nebraska, with its newly extended coach, might have a better record and a bowl game secured, but they are without starting quarterback Dylan Raiola. Their backup fared well against UCLA, but this Penn State defense has been ruthless the last two weeks.

Jim Knowles needs to keep dialing up the pressure, and Nittany Nation needs to bring it. No Thanksgiving slumber, go out and beat the Cornhuskers and set up a battle for bowl eligibility in New Brunswick next week.

CJ Gill (7-3): Penn State 31, Nebraska 24

Terry Smith is coaching the Nittany Lions this Saturday, not Matt Rhule. And that’s a good thing for Penn State fans everywhere. Smith and the guys are coming off a much-needed win last week on the road at Michigan State, and the blue and white will use the momentum to get another win against the Huskers under the lights at Beaver Stadium on Senior Day.

Both teams are on their backup quarterback at this stage in the season, but I don’t expect the offenses to struggle to score points. Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton are both hungry as they are chasing program records. Penn State’s defense will need to do its best to contain Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson through four quarters if the Nittany Lions want Rhule to leave his alma mater with a loss.

Jamie Lynch (4-6): Penn State 35, Nebraska 21

I think Penn State is going to shine on Saturday. The pencil is sharp, and the team will continue to write its story.

Under the lights at Beaver Stadium, this group will keep proving to the world that they are not quitters. Look for the players to feed off the crowd energy, and for the defense to maintain its upward trajectory. I expect a strong offensive showing as well, with Kaytron Allen wanting to break the rushing record on his home turf.

Jason Perry (3-3): Penn State 31, Nebraska 24

I want to start by congratulating Terry Smith on his first win as head coach. No matter what direction Penn State decides to go next year, it would be nice to keep Smith on the staff. After he leads the team to another win this Saturday night, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he will, he has a strong case to keep that head coaching job for himself.

Nebraska will not be an easy opponent by any means, but I’m confident in this Nittany Lion defense to shut down a team that hasn’t scored more than 30 points in a game since early October and is playing with a backup quarterback. If the offense plays like it did against Michigan State, I expect Penn State to walk out of Beaver Stadium with the win.

Brandon Collica (4-0): Penn State 27, Nebraska 20

Penn State, coming off a big win against Michigan State, will look to continue its newfound streak against the Cornhuskers of Nebraska. Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola is out for the season, which will lead to the Nittany Lions’ victory and Terry Smith’s second career win.

Karlee Feger (3-1): Penn State 21, Nebraska 10

I think Penn State is going to close out its last home game on top. Coming off an exciting win for coach Terry Smith, this team has a new fire. As Grunkemeyer gains more confidence each game and Kaytron Allen is creeping in on becoming the all-time career rushing yards leader for a Penn State running back, this team is more motivated than ever to finish the season strong.

Brian Kriley (1-1): Penn State 24, Nebraska 10

Penn State was able to finally gain momentum and secure its first Big Ten win last week. Most of the Nittany Lion offense went through Kaytron Allen on the ground, and they should be able to keep that going against a bad Nebraska run defense. Ethan Grunkemeyer is looking more comfortable as he gets more in-game reps, and he should be fine enough to manage the game. On the other side of the ball, Penn State’s defense has had a really strong last couple of games. With a backup quarterback, I don’t see Nebraska getting much going on offense, and Penn State should be able to send the Cornhuskers packing with a comfortable win on Senior Day.

Ericka Apolskis (1-2): Penn State 27, Nebraska 10

Nittany Lions by a million.

Melanie Thalhimer (0-2): Penn State 28, Nebraska 14

After the emotions of last week’s win, I’m hopeful the Nittany Lions can pull off another one. Penn State was able to build solid momentum on both offense and defense, so if they carry that same energy into Saturday, I’m confident the team can give coach Terry Smith and the seniors one last win at Beaver Stadium.

Alexander Holmes (0-0): Penn State 17, Nebraska 10

The soon-to-be chilly night game at Beaver Stadium between Penn State and Nebraska should be exciting. This quarterback battle will be something no one wants to miss between Ethan Grunkemeyer behind the Penn State offense and the true freshman TJ Lateef behind the Nebraska offense. I believe Penn State wins this game 17-10. I don’t think the game will be high-scoring, primarily because of Penn State’s elite defense, but also because the Nittany Lions’ offense hasn’t been as hot as we’d like.

Oscar Orellana (4-6): Penn State 24, Nebraska 13

Penn State will build off its momentum gained against Michigan State and pull within one game of bowl qualification. The Nittany Lions will roll into Beaver Stadium for one last ride in 2025 behind Terry Smith while celebrating their seniors. It’ll be a special and emotional night for Penn State, which is why I think the boys will pull out the win. Kaytron will go for 150+ to break the all-time rushing record at home.

Cooper Cazares (4-6): Penn State 24, Nebraska 20

Penn State is riding a wave of momentum right now. With their back against the wall in a night game at Beaver Stadium, the Nittany Lions will roll to their second straight win on Saturday night. #BackItUpTerr #CoachT

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