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.
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KNOP) – The Coffee Bin has been selected as one of 70 stops on this year’s Nebraska Passport program, an annual challenge that highlights attractions and promotes local businesses across the state.
An incredible Honor
The owner of The Coffee Bin said the selection was meaningful for her team.
“It’s a huge honor. I mean, to be selected, I don’t know how many applications they get every year for this, but it’s like, so, it’s a big honor. It’s just, you know, we’re just really, really excited to be a part of it,” Penny Billingsley, said.
Tourism and local growth
The owner said participation in the Nebraska Passport program plays a role in helping businesses like hers grow.
“Tourism is a big, big part of, I think, for any city, tourism is important. North Platte has a lot of really unique places to go, and we’re also just in the middle of the state. So there’s, you know, you can get to a lot of different, different destinations from here. So I think it’s very important,” she added.
The Coffee Bin is one of two Lincoln County stops on this year’s Nebraska Passport program. Crystal Cave & Falls Adventure Mini Golf is the other Lincoln County location included in the program.
A full list of attractions is available on the KNOP News 2 app and website.
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Copyright 2026 KNOP. All rights reserved.
Nebraska All-American running back Emmett Johnson is waiting for the NFL Draft next month. In his wake, his legacy in Lincoln influences the Huskers’ running back room.
The current guys wouldn’t mind being like Emmett.
And why not?
Johnson ran for 1,451 yards in 2025, and is expected to be drafted. Johnson played four years at Nebraska and his development across that time became a textbook for younger players to follow.
“It’s interesting,” Huskers running backs coach E.J. Barthel told reporters after practice Wednesday. “It’s one thing to talk about development and one thing as a coach you want to say here’s what we believe and here’s the opportunities that are on the horizon if you do this, do that. All the kids watched him {Emmett] do it. It makes my job a lot easier.
“Emmett’s just been an example … talking about where he needs to improve to the next spring [practice] and he’s continued to battle and fight and compete. Emmett’s second year as a full-time player he had to compete with Rahmir [Johnson] and Dante [Dowdell] …
“That turned him into the player you saw last season. Learning to compete brings out the best out of everybody … And then for Emmett to compete with him [Rahmir] in camp and throughout the season, that’s going to make you the player you’re going to be.
“That’s what’s most impressive about Emmett, that the ability to compete and want to compete. If you look at him at the [NFL] Combine, I think he’s one of the only running backs to do all the drills. I think it’s been told to me by some NFL people that they’re impressed that he’s not afraid of competition. I think that makes you a great player.”
The next generation
Barthel, who is in his fourth season at Nebraska, has enormous numbers on the stat sheet to fill without Johnson. His running back room is well stocked but inexperienced. The Huskers are coming off back-to-back 7-6 seasons.
Kwinten Ives, Isaiah Mozee and Mekhi Nelson each have limited experience. Each wants to be the main ball carrier in 2026. Combined, these three carried the ball 73 times for 295 yards. Johnson had 251 carries last season
“The one thing we pride ourselves here is honesty and transparency with our players,” Barthel said about Ives, a junior from Beverly, N.J. “And letting guys know exactly where they stand. And we challenge Kwinten.
“He’s going to have to maximize his role and show myself, show himself, show the staff that there’s a void here. And can you fill that void?
“That’s the reality. Not only did he do it in practice, he stepped up and he did it in the game [34 yards vs. Akron; 85 yards vs. Houston Christian; 14 yards on four carries in the Las Vegas Bowl].
“That’s a huge jump for him. His question had never been about ability. Last year it was the soft tissue injuries. So, he’s going to be challenged this spring to continue to focus on his body, keeping himself healthy, but he’s accelerating.
“He’s having his best spring that I’ve seen since I’ve been here.”
Barthel on Mekhi Nelson
“Off the field, he’s really maturing,” Barthel said about the sophomore from Wilkes-Barre, Pa. “When we’re on the road recruiting this cycle, he did a great job of getting the group together, making sure guys were meeting on their own voluntarily and coordinating all the things that we talk about during the season, as far as what we should be covering during their workouts.
“He did a great job as far as being a leader of that group in that sense. Right now, the challenge for him is going to see if he can take his body to the next level just like Emmett had to do.
“There’s no doubt he has breakaway speed and he has a competitive edge when he plays. The big challenge for him is focusing on his body. That’s going to be the big factor for him.
“As far as his skill set, as far as route efficiency, as far as his protection, as far as his rush skills, his ability to outrun the defense, his toughness, he’s very impressive.
“He’s going to continue to climb that ladder.”
Nelson was the Huskers’ second-leading rusher with 147 yards on 27 carries. He had 88 yards on 12 carries in the Las Vegas Bowl loss to Utah.
Barthel on Isaiah Mozee
“I look at him now as a real running back,” Barthel said about Mozee, a sophomore from Kansas City. “Last year, he was really transitioning and now his movements pre-snap, how he gets aligned, his eyes, all those things, he’s really truly bought into the position.
“The big thing for him right now will continue to be staying on that path and running the ball inside. That’s going to be the thing he needs to do to really grasp. Everyone knows what he can do in space. We know what he can do on the perimeter.
“His focus this spring is running behind his weight and becoming a really dynamic inside runner.”
The wild card freshman
The unknown factor is true freshman Jamal Rule from Salisbury, N.C. Rule was considered a three-star player who Barthel said was not recruited out of Charlotte Christian High.
“One of the reasons why we loved Jamal coming out of high school was because of his physicality and competitive edge, the way he ran the football in high school,” Barthel said. “It was evident in tape. It was evident when I went to go watch him play.
“The kid has a chip on his shoulder. He was the leading rusher at North Carolina his junior year … and then to run over 200 yards against Providence Day [School] in a championship game and to really not get recruited was a slap in the face to that kid. And so an opportunity for us to believe in him and everyone on the staff, everyone on our team seeing why we believed in him …
“That’s part of his attitude. Right now he needs to learn football. It’s one thing he’s got to transition from being a high school football player to really learning the cycle of the snap, development of his eyes in the run game and in the protection game.
“Those are the big things for him right now is just the details of football, is what he needs to learn.
“I think you could probably spot-play a young freshman, as far as their ability, but in order for us to rely on him, he’s got to be really diving into the details. And so that just takes repetition and experience … He’s going to gradually grow and so it’s really the meeting rooms, it’s the quizzing, it’s all the things off the field that are going to help him mentally play faster.”
Barthel has a challenging job this offseason — as do all of the Huskers.
“I’ve been their coach. I know where they need to improve,” Barthel said about his running back room.
With Emmett Johnson gone, there is a void to be filled, an opportunity for someone to step up.
Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
They say all roads lead home, and for Daniel Kaelin, that remains true as he returns to Lincoln after a year away from the program in 2025.
The former four-star Belleview West (NE) star heads into his sophomore season in his second stint as a Husker, ready to compete for an impactful role. Though he’ll likely be on the outside looking in, in terms of earning the starting job, after gaining starting experience at his previous school, he won’t go down without a fight.
Now, after roughly a week and a half of spring football practices in the books, Kaelin met with the media Wednesday. During his time at the mic, the Nebraska native touched on a variety of topics, including his decision to come home, an ego-less quarterback room in Lincoln, and much more.
It didn’t take long for the will-be sophomore to get asked about his decision to return to Nebraska. After explaining the values he got out of his time away, Kaelin described it as something he’s as excited about as he is thankful for.
“It’s been really good,” said Kaelin. “Nebraska’s my home, and there are so many people on this team that I have a good relationship with. So, the transition has been really smooth. I’ve been enjoying being back, for sure”.
Leaving after the end of the 2024 season, Kaelin’s path towards competing for a starting job appeared to be full of obstacles. But a little over a year after he transferred to Virginia, the situation has changed dramatically. Back in the scarlet and cream, a year older and with more experience, the soon-to-be third-year player is enjoying his return, to say the least.
In his time as a Cavalier, the then-redshirt freshman saw action in seven games. Despite a sparing role, he still managed to throw for the first 339 yards of his career, while also scoring his first collegiate touchdown. Kaelin also proved to be a threat on the ground, with 12 carries for 72 yards.
In total, he amassed 400 all-purpose yards at Virginia and comes to Nebraska more battle-tested than before. Here, the 6-foot-3, 218-pounder will look to grow even more, but was asked to reflect on what he gained during his stay on the East Coast.
“It was my first time being away from home,” he said. “I think that year- doing things on my own- was probably big for me becoming an adult. I think I learned a lot about myself that way”.
Between personal development and his time on the field, Kaelin’s lone season at Virginia was not for nothing. Instead, a more mature version of the young quarterback is what the Huskers are getting back amongst their ranks. He also provides them with the third quarterback to have started a Power Four game in their career.
After discussing what he gained in his time away, Kaelin was then asked to explain how he landed back in Lincoln ahead of the 2026 season. To somewhat of a surprise, the Nebraska native suggested it wasn’t initially planned. Rather, the opportunity presented itself, and both sides agreed.
“I didn’t really even expect to be leaving the last school I was at,” Kaelin said. “Things kind of happened pretty quickly. When I got in the portal, I was able to get in touch with Coach Rhule, and when I knew that this was a possibility, it just made a lot of sense for me. It is really comfortable for me coming back home and being around people that I know”.
Using his past relationships with coaches and players such as Carter Nelson and Bode Soukup, the former in-state signal-caller is what you’d call back home. Confident, comfortable, and with a lot more to prove, he’ll look to make an impact on the field for the first time as a Husker this fall.
Kaelin was then asked to shed light on the dynamic within the quarterbacks’ room, and his response sounded similar to that of quarterback coach Glenn Thomas earlier in the day. Instead of pushing each other away due to competition, the position group is looking to help each other grow. In fact, Kaelin suggested it may be the most unified position group he’s ever been a part of, and something he views as a positive change.
“There’s egos,” he said. There’s money involved. I think that can create some tension or problems sometimes. There haven’t been any type of issues like that with the room that we have right now; it’s been great.”
While some suggest that his comment may be a back-handed dig at former signal-callers within the room, it’s clear that the Huskers no longer have an issue with competition in 2026. Instead, the group is pushing eachother to improve. And when spring ball and fall camp come to a close, the best man for the job will emerge with the others’ full support.
A big change since Kaelin was on campus in 2024 is NU’s retooled wide receiver room. After welcoming in a new position coach, the Huskers have been able to recruit, retain, and add several high-level players to the unit. When asked to offer his thoughts on the room, the will-be sophomore didn’t hold back his early praise.
“A big thing that we’ve noticed so far is we have guys that make plays,” Kaelin said. “We’ve been challenging them to- when the ball is in the air, it has got to be theirs. We don’t want 50/50 balls. They’ve got to go make plays. And so far, they’ve definitely been doing that. It’s been really impressive to watch”.
Not only are the Big Red’s pass catchers bigger, deeper, and faster than before, but it’s beginning to pay off for the offense this spring. There’s still plenty of time for the quarterbacks and wideouts to develop chemistry, but early reports suggest the relationship has started well.
For Kaelin, it was positive to see the metaphorical boy return as a man. Not only has he gained experience and found success on the field, but he’s also come back with a deeper understanding of what it takes to lead a team. By all accounts, it appears his teammates have taken a liking to him, so don’t be surprised if he sees the field in some role this upcoming fall.
Again, he’s far from guaranteed the starting job here in Lincoln and will have to beat out two players with more experience than he has. Still, it is more than likely that he will take his first snaps as a Husker at some point in 2026. Were he to take meaningful reps, the third-year sophomore has already been tested before, and that gives Nebraska reason for optimism about the room.
Overall, he sounded as if he was preparing to be more than ready when his opportunity comes. Returning home did not come without a price, but don’t expect Kaelin to remain silent his second time around. The Huskers are looking for a player who can reliably make plays, and it’s hard to argue that there would be another player in his position group who cares more about the program than he does.
Still, he’ll have to prove his skill is worthy of deserving that chance. Spring should tell a lot about where he stands.
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