COLUMBUS — Insurance companies are fighting a proposal that would require them to pay for prostate and colon cancer screening tests for people 50 and older.

        “The main problem with mandates is it's like squeezing a balloon — it comes out the other end,” said Scott Miller, president of the Columbus Association of Health Underwriters.

        “We want the absolute best health care right now, but now we're faced with escalated costs.”

        The bill pending in the Legislature would add Ohio to the list of 26 states requiring insurers to pay for routine prostate cancer screening for people 50 and older.

        The measure, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Jacobson, R-Brookville, also would require insurers to pay for colon cancer tests. Seven states have a similar requirement for people 50 and older.

        About 15,100 Ohioans will find out they have one of the two cancers this year, according to society estimates.

        The cancer society says colorectal cancer is expected to kill 56,700 Americans this year, including 2,700 Ohioans. Prostate cancer will kill an estimated 31,500 men, including 1,400 in this state.

        Society spokeswoman Michelle Jones said insurance companies should not have to raise rates to cover testing costs because early detection results in lower medical bills in the long run.

        But that doesn't sit well with employers, said Kelly McGivern, president of the Ohio Association of Health Plans.

        “The bottom line is, somebody is paying the bill, and it's usually the employer.”

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