The insurance industry recently reported that $80 Billion is paid each year for Mammogram screening for Breast Cancer and PSA screening for Prostate Cancer. According to their financial reports the costs don't justify the return, meaning- by the number of lives saved by early detection of Cancer.
Is it "OK" for the Insurance Industry take away our individual right to obtain preventative screening for cancer? Is it "Ok" for the Insurance Industry to use the medical studies for justification of these "new restrictions" so they can pay less for preventative screenings and increase their profit margins even further? Lord help you if you are diagnosed with Cancer. You can be assured that your insurance company will also Deny life saving treatment under ambiguous exclusion clauses such as; "Investigational or Experimental Treatment."
At what point do we say, "NO" to Insurance companies who only see human beings a profit margins and expendable for the sake of their bottom line.
What do you think? I welcome your comments on this very hot topic.
USPSTF Recommends Against Routine Mammography for Women in Their 40s
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends against routine screening mammography for average-risk women aged 40 to 49. This represents a change from the USPSTF's 2002 recommendation statement, which advocated for routine screening starting at age 40.
Among the task force's other updates, published in Annals of Internal Medicine:
Screening mammography should be performed every 2 years for average-risk women aged 50 to 74.
Evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against screening in women 75 or older.
Clinicians should not teach women how to perform breast self-exams.
Evidence is insufficient to make recommendations on using clinical breast exams in addition to mammography.
Evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against using digital mammography or MRI instead of film mammography.
In Journal Watch Women's Health, Dr. Andrew Kaunitz says that because the updated guidelines recommend less screening, women may be confused or even outraged. He calls for consistent "frank discussions" with patients about the benefits and risks of screening mammography.
(The American College of Radiology has spoken out against these guideline changes.)
Annals of Internal Medicine article (Free)
Annals of Internal Medicine editorial (Subscription required)
Journal Watch Women's Health clinical practice guideline watch (Free)
American College of Radiology statement opposing USPSTF's changes (Free)
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Tuesday, November 17, 2009
INSURANCE COMPANY PROFIT VS DEATH?
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