News Flash - Mammography Update!
Few stories have made a bigger splash than this week's news that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends most women begin routine, biennial mammograms at age 50 (instead of 40). The Task Force also recommended against the teaching of breast self exams. The American Cancer Society took issue with the new recommendations, and other groups have also weighed in, including the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.
The inclusion of the dangerous Stupak amendment in the House health insurance reform bill made women and men concerned about how such reform will impact access to essential reproductive health care. The Task Force's recommendations this week are only compounding that anxiety, and some have questioned whether the recommendations will spur insurers to drop coverage for mammograms for women under age 50.
This afternoon, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius issued a statement about the controversy. She noted, "The Task Force has presented some new evidence for consideration but our policies remain unchanged. Indeed, I would be very surprised if any private insurance company changed its mammography coverage decisions as a result of this action.... My message to women is simple. Mammograms have always been an important life-saving tool in the fight against breast cancer and they still are today. Keep doing what you have been doing for years -- talk to your doctor about your individual history, ask questions, and make the decision that is right for you."