The Asbury Park Press recently published an article in response to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommendation that women in their 40s don’t need mammograms routinely, and women in their 50s should only have them every two years.
Kristin L. Brill, MD, a breast surgeon and Director of the Janet Knowles Breast Cancer Center at Cooper, said that women routinely voice concerns about health insurance coverage, fearing studies calling mammography into question will bring about a reduction in coverage.
“Women do not want to give up their annual mammograms,” Brill said.
So even though New Jersey law mandates insurance coverage of annual mammograms for women 40 and older, and medical professionals say the new federal health care laws will give a boost to preventive care, including mammograms, some fear studies calling mammography screenings into question will bring about a reduction in coverage.
Indeed, Brill said, the federal task force’s recommendations indicated a “willingness to risk missing some breast cancers” in a nod to “strong cost-effectiveness. But would that be the case? We’re looking to catch breast cancers early. That’s the economy.”