Posted on 11/16/2009 2:50:45 PM PST by earlJam
11/16/09
Most women should start regular breast cancer screening at age 50, not 40, according to new guidelines released Monday by an influential group that provides guidance to doctors, insurance companies and policy makers.
The new recommendations reverse longstanding guidelines and are aimed at reducing harm from overtreatment, the group says. It also says women age 50 to 74 should have mammograms less frequently — every two years, rather than every year. And it said doctors should stop teaching women to examine their breasts on a regular basis.
The new report conflicts with advice from groups like the American Cancer Society and the American College of Radiology. They are staying with their guidelines advising annual mammograms starting at age 40....
The cancer society, in a statement by Dr. Otis W. Brawley, its chief medical officer, agreed that mammography had risks as well as benefits but, he said, the society’s experts had looked at “virtually all” the task force and additional data and concluded that the benefits of annual mammograms starting at age 40 outweighed the risks.
Congress requires Medicare to pay for annual mammograms. Medicare can change its rules to pay for less frequent tests if federal officials direct it to...
Private insurers are required by law in every state except Utah to pay for mammograms for women in their 40s.
But the new guidelines are expected to alter the grading system for health plans, which are used as a marketing tool. Grades are issued by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, a private nonprofit organization, and one measure is the percentage of patients getting mammograms every one to two years starting at age 40...
Researchers worry the new report will be interpreted as a political effort by the Obama administration to save money on health care costs.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
When Obamacare goes into full effect, mammograms will only be administered to women at age 60, but, unfortunately, treatment for breast cancer will be restricted to 55 and under.
That’s just the way it is in Great Britain now.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot??!?
How does this hurt to do a self-examination? It's almost like they want women to neglect exams and die of a cancer that is highly treatable. But, what do I know; I'm just a racist.
Bill Clinton has selflessly volunteered to help out the 40 y.o. women who will be displaced as a result of Zer0bamaCare
Meanwhile, here in NJ, the dems’ whole campaign ended up being that Christie wanted to “deny” women mammograms because he said younger women should be allowed to purchase cheaper policies that don’t cover things like mammograms, if that’s their choice.
Yep, saves a LOT of money not to diagnose the youngsters with cancer!! Sarc
I know a woman who would be dead if she followed that advice.
Reminds me of an old Dragnet episode . . .
Suspected killer of elderly: “Hey they were old . . they didn’t have that much longer to live anyway”
Sgt. Friday was NOT impressed
I can understand the cold, actuarial analysis which compares some extra tumors found in later stages requiring more aggressive treatment and some extra deaths versus cutting the number of mammograms by more than half (1/2 years vs 1/year + higher starting age). I can’t figure out how “And it said doctors should stop teaching women to examine their breasts on a regular basis” will save any money, unless they are counting cost of the number of noncancerous lumps found and biopsied which wouldn’t be found until a biannual mammogram and seen as noncancerous on the x-ray.
I have a cousin and and aunt who both had breast cancer in their 40s, but are live and well today. F___ the government. We are heading into such a terrible disaster.
That’s the whole point...they are looking for the booty from estate taxes at the same time...it’s a twofer.....
In the world of Obmaacare, dead is cheap and therefore good... doubly so if she is a Republican.
Researchers worry the new report will be interpreted as a political effort by the Obama administration to save money on health care costs.
Ya think?
And that's exactly why insurance premiums are so high; people are forced to buy policies which are forced by law to be chock-full of tests which may not necessarily be desirable for various groups of people.
FWIW, My wife’s acorn-sized breast tumor was discovered when she was 47
Stupid.
My aunt and my godmother had breast cancer. One is a survivor, the other lost her battle. Both were diagnosed by mamograms in their 40’s and both would have been gone by 50 had they not had treatment.
Instead, one has beaten it and the other got to see both her daughters get married and the birth of her first grandchild before she lost her battle.
Thi is idiotic.
And I know a woman who is battling for her life now because she skipped one annual mammogram.
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