What the program pays for
- Stool FIT/FOBT test
- Colonoscopy
- Pathology on any biopsied polyps
- Navigation to follow-up if screening is abnormal
How Pennsylvania's program works
Pennsylvania Colorectal Cancer Screening Initiative is Pennsylvania's CDC Colorectal Cancer Control Program grantee. Call 1-717-787-5900 or see https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/programs/Cancer/Pages/Colorectal.aspx. CRCCP grantees provide stool FIT or FIT-DNA (Cologuard) tests, typically mailed or handed out at a partner FQHC, and cover the follow-up colonoscopy at no charge if the stool test is positive. The program partners with local endoscopy centers that agree to bill the grantee rather than the patient.
Who qualifies. Adults ages 45-75, uninsured or under-insured, with household income up to 250% of the federal poverty level. The USPSTF lowered the screening start age from 50 to 45 in 2021. CRCCP grantees updated their eligibility thresholds to match within the following year. People with a first-degree relative diagnosed before age 60 should screen earlier; ask the program intake line whether family-history risk can move you to the front of the queue.
What's covered. Stool FIT or FIT-DNA at home, plus the diagnostic colonoscopy (including polyp removal and pathology) at no cost if the stool test is positive. Screening colonoscopy as a first-line test is covered by many CRCCP grantees at contracted endoscopy centers; confirm with the state program line before assuming it is. The mailed-FIT pathway is the one CRCCPs use most aggressively: it is cheaper than colonoscopy and evidence shows completion rates double when the test arrives at home rather than requiring a clinic visit.
Pennsylvania's CRCCP includes partnerships with Penn Medicine, Fox Chase Cancer Center, and Allegheny Health Network; Philadelphia neighborhoods with highest Black mortality are priority regions.
For Black families in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Black colorectal-cancer mortality is 22.1 per 100,000 versus 15.3 for white residents (PA Cancer Registry, 2022).
For Black women and families in Pennsylvania, the practical route is rarely an abstract national program. It is a local clinic or community navigator who answers the phone, walks you through the intake, and follows up when the appointment letter is delayed. The state program line above is the fastest way to be matched to a navigator serving your county.
Community partners that have historically carried this work (Sisters Network chapters, the Black Mamas Matter Alliance network, the National Black Nurses Association, local churches affiliated with Faith in Public Life, and the NAACP health committees) often maintain navigator lists outside the state portal. If the state line doesn't route cleanly, call the nearest FQHC (every FQHC has certified navigators on staff under federal 330-grant rules).
Where to get help in Pennsylvania
- Federally Qualified Health Centers in Pennsylvania: every FQHC takes Medicaid, charges a sliding scale for uninsured patients, and participates in free-screening pathways. See our FQHC directory for this state at /clinics/pa/.
- Gastroenterology providers in Pennsylvania: our provider directory filters to this state and specialty. See /providers/pa/.
- Medicaid in Pennsylvania: if you qualify for Medicaid, the free-screening pathway extends to treatment if cancer is found (BCCPTA, Public Law 106-354). See our Medicaid navigator at /medicaid/pennsylvania/.
- Black Health outcomes in Pennsylvania: see state-level race-stratified data at /health/pennsylvania/.
- Fight Colorectal Cancer, patient-advocate network with Black-community-focused outreach initiatives: fightcolorectalcancer.org.
References & primary sources
- Pennsylvania Colorectal Cancer Screening Initiative: https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/programs/Cancer/Pages/Colorectal.aspx.
- CDC CRCCP recipients and implementation reports: cdc.gov/cancer/crccp.
- USPSTF 2021 Colorectal Cancer Screening Recommendation.
- CDC WONDER race-stratified mortality query, Pennsylvania, three-year aggregate 2020-2022: wonder.cdc.gov.
Data refreshed: