Nebraska
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.”
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
On Saturday afternoon (3 p.m. CT, Peacock), No. 13 Illinois (8-2, 1-0 Big Ten) will host No. 23 Nebraska (10-0, 1-0 Big Ten) in Champaign for an early-season ranked-on-ranked Big Ten showdown.
The Cornhuskers made their season debut in the AP poll this Monday. Two days later, they dismantled – by 30 points – a Wisconsin club that entered the season ranked in the top 25, knocking off the Badgers 90-60 in Lincoln.
Blood in the water. 🦈📹https://t.co/LKzCqN3tcz
— Nebraska Men’s Basketball (@HuskerMBB) December 11, 2025
ESPN’s matchup predictor makes its pick for Illinois-Nebraska
Yet on Saturday, according to ESPN’s analytics, the odds are not at all in Nebraska’s favor. The matchup predictor gives Illinois a 77.5 percent chance of staving off the visitors this weekend.
And it makes sense for two key reasons: 1) Home-court advantage. Playing at home, especially in Big Ten action, already gives any team a massive leg up. For example, the Illini, despite losing 14 conference games over the past two seasons, have just five league losses on their home floor during that stretch.
2) Illinois is really good.
The AP poll doesn’t always reflect reality. Both of these clubs may, in fact, be better than their respective rankings in that poll. Nevertheless, the difference between the No. 20 team and the No. 25 team isn’t nearly as drastic as the difference between the No. 5 and No. 10 team.
The Illini should absolutely dominate the Cornhuskers on the glass. Given the relative shortcomings of Brad Underwood’s squad in that department in its past few outings, it’s possible the margin is closer than it should be, but Illinois will undoubtedly control the boards to at least some extent.
And given the level the Illini defense has been operating at, specifically on first attempts in each possession, the Cornhuskers are going to find points extremely tough to come by. Offensively, Illinois will surely rely heavily on its talent once again, staying away from any complex schematic design and simply letting its players operate.
As the old adage goes: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And with an Illinois offense currently ranked No. 5 in KenPom in terms of efficiency, it very clearly isn’t broken.
As Nebraska has done all season thus far to its opponents, Fred Hoiberg’s unit figures to make the Illini appear somewhat less than. But between the size and talent disparity, not to mention the home-floor advantage, Illinois will still very likely put an end to Nebraska’s exceptional undefeated start – even if it is a tighter battle than the Illini would like.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KSNB) – One lucky player who bought a Nebraska Pick 4 ticket for the Wednesday, Dec. 10, drawing is holding a ticket worth $3,125.
The ticket was sold at Pump & Pantry No. 16 at 109 Lincoln Avenue in York. The winning numbers from Wednesday’s Nebraska Pick 4 drawing were 02, 00, 01, 05.
Winning Nebraska Lottery tickets expire 180 days after the drawing. Tickets with total prize amounts of $501 to $19,999 must be claimed by mail or at a regional lottery claim center. Additional information about claiming prizes can be found at nelottery.com or by calling 800-587-5200.
Nebraska Pick 4 is a daily lotto game from the Nebraska Lottery. Players select four numbers, each from a separate set of digits from 0 through 9, for a chance to win up to $6,000. Players choose one of six bet types to set their play style and potential prizes. The odds of winning the $3,125 prize in Nebraska Pick 4 are 1 in 10,000.
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LINCOLN, Neb. — One month ago, on the heels of a breakthrough performance by Emmett Johnson against UCLA, Nebraska launched a Heisman Trophy push for the junior running back.
Johnson enjoyed the limelight. Fans flocked to see him during an appearance in downtown Lincoln and at the high school championship games inside Memorial Stadium. He traveled home to Minneapolis during the Huskers’ bye week and visited his high school, Academy of Holy Angels. He had stopped in previously, but this trip was different.
“It was like a celebrity came to the school,” Holy Angels coach Jim Gunderson said.
In the final two games of the regular season with Nebraska, Johnson rushed for 320 yards, but the Huskers lost them in ugly fashion against Penn State and Iowa to cap a 7-5 regular season. As fast as the Heisman campaign began, it was over — but worthwhile, nonetheless.
Johnson ran this season in part so that running backs at Nebraska who follow him can fly. He leaves Nebraska with a sterling legacy.
On Wednesday, Johnson became the first Nebraska player to receive first-team All-America mentions since linebacker Lavonte David in 2011 — and the fourth running back in the past 70 years, matching Mike Rozier (1982 and ’83), Jarvis Redwine (1980) and Jeff Kinney (1971). His final year ranks among the top five in school history by a running back. Stack it alongside Rozier’s 1983 Heisman season, Lawrence Phillips in 1994, Ahman Green in 1997 and Ameer Abdullah in 2013.
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule and his staff aim to use Johnson’s success to help bring backs to Lincoln who can finish what he started.
“It’s very much not in vogue anymore not to wait your turn,” Rhule said. “Sometimes, it’s like, ‘I’ll just go here and do this, just go there.’ But guys like Emmett had chances. And they stayed. And he deserves everything that he’s getting.”
Johnson was named the Big Ten running back of the year, a first at Nebraska. Last Friday, he declared for the 2026 NFL Draft, foregoing his final season of eligibility and the Dec. 31 Las Vegas Bowl.
High praise for the B1G’s top back@Emmett21Johnson pic.twitter.com/g7EhpUE2EP
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) December 11, 2025
What separated Johnson this year?
• His 1,130 yards in Big Ten play were the most by a Power 4 back in conference play. He stands alone with 1995 Heisman winner Eddie George as the only Big Ten players to total 1,100 rushing yards and 300 receiving yards in one season of league play.
• Johnson led the nation by accounting for 40.8 percent of his team’s total yards.
• He was the fourth FBS player since 2017 to average 120 yards rushing and 30 yards receiving.
• His 1,821 yards from scrimmage and 1,451 rushing ranked second and third, respectively, in the FBS.
In form true to his roots, Johnson proved wrong skeptics who believed he could not handle 20 carries per game in Big Ten play.
Does everyone realize how freaking good Emmett Johnson is for @HuskerFootball ? Dude is a straight balla. Quick, decisive, tough, great as a receiver. One of the most underrated RB’s in the Country!
— David Pollack (@davidpollack47) November 28, 2025
“He has always had that chip to prove people wrong and be great,” Gunderson said. “This is how he envisioned it going, and he wasn’t going to be denied.”
Four years ago, on a Sunday in mid-December, less than a week before the signing period opened, Johnson accepted a Nebraska scholarship offer. Ron Brown extended it.
A month earlier, Scott Frost, the Nebraska coach from 2018 to 2022, fired four offensive assistants. Brown, with 24 years of experience as a Nebraska assistant under three head coaches, was elevated late in that season from offensive analyst to running backs coach. He reviewed tape of Johnson, who scored 42 touchdowns and rushed for 2,500 yards at Holy Angels in 2021.
And Brown wondered why no big school had snatched up Johnson.
“I was perplexed,” Brown said. “Because when I saw Emmett play, I thought, ‘This guy is special.’”
Brown had recruited Abdullah from high school in Alabama to Nebraska in 2011. And Brown coached Abdullah in his back-to-back 1,600-yard seasons as a junior and senior before an NFL career that continues this year in its 11th season. In Johnson, Brown saw some of Abdullah’s vision, change of direction, endurance and ability to recover.
Brown quizzed Gunderson, the Holy Angels coach, about Johnson.
“I probably threw 100 questions at him,” Brown said, “looking for something that might be a little bit off, something that I had missed.”
Nothing.
“Coach Brown could just see the intangibles,” Gunderson said, “the stuff that isn’t measured. He saw the potential and the kind of kid who was going to work and who believed in himself.”
Johnson started six games as a redshirt freshman in 2023. He started five in 2024 and found his rhythm in the Nebraska offense when Dana Holgorsen arrived as coordinator last season. In December 2024, Johnson considered entering the transfer portal.
Holgorsen’s commitment helped get him to stay.
“ I think he just wanted to know that somebody had a plan for him,” Gunderson said.
The plan was never to leave Nebraska early. Johnson simply wanted the chance to receive a heavy workload.
He got 32 offensive touches against Cincinnati in the 2025 opener, 24 against Michigan, 23 against Maryland and 29 against Northwestern. In November, after quarterback Dylan Raiola was injured, Johnson stacked three games with 31 opportunities apiece and a 27-touch effort against Penn State.
“This dude really did what he said he was going to do,” Nebraska tight end Luke Lindenmeyer said.
His reliability never came into question.
“I’m so proud of Emmett, man,” senior cornerback Ceyair Wright said. “I think his success is a product of who he is as a person, how he treats people and the work that he puts in.”
Emmett Johnson shouldered a heavy load late in the season, garnering 27-plus touches in each of his final five games for Nebraska. (Harry How / Getty Images)
His humility and care for others rate as Johnson’s most admirable trait. Johnson said he wanted to share credit with his teammates for the accomplishments of this season. He rushed for 177 yards in the first half against Iowa and 217 for the game. But he stressed in the aftermath that he felt badly for older teammates who played their final games in Lincoln on Black Friday.
Turns out, he was among them. Johnson takes pride, he said, in building a new reputation for Nebraska running backs — more than a decade after Abdullah departed, three decades after Green and 42 years after Rozier’s Heisman.
“It matters a lot,” Johnson said, “because Nebraska is a special place. I want to be able to have recruits look at this place and know it’s special. It is special. I’m blessed to be the one doing that and helping. It’s bigger than just football.
“There are a lot of great humans here. That’s what I want to help push.”
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