Medicare is not affected by the ACA rules, as the federal program is governed under a separate statutory mandate, but that still leaves a pretty large swath of women aged 40-65 for whom regular breast cancer screening may no longer be an economically viable option. Likewise, older women in their 50s and early 60s may find it more difficult to get reimbursed for annual mammograms because the grade B recommendation is only for every two years.
This means that some private insurance plans may no longer pay for mammograms of average-risk women in their 40s. The ACA states that private insurers are no longer required to reimburse beneficiaries for services that do not carry at least a grade B recommendation from USPSTF. Ironically, the Affordable Care Act (which was supposed to provide greater access to healthcare for more people) may be responsible for preventing easy access to early detection of breast cancer for a large amount of American women. Thanks largely in part to the uproar over the USPTF Mammography Guidelines issued in 2009, annual mammograms beginning at age 40 were covered by Medicare and other insurers. Or that despite these advances, breast cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in women (#1 among Hispanic women), killing 40,000 of us annually. Never mind that imaging technology has advanced light years since 1969 (when the "modern" mammogram was introduced)leading to more cancers being detected at earlier stages, giving more women better chances at long-term survival. Or that these younger women are literally dying to get breast density notification legislation passed in an effort to save the lives of others. Never mind that 1 in 8 women will get cancer in their lifetime or that the most invasive cancers tend to occur in younger women. Ignoring the voices of the healthcare professionals actually involved in detecting and treating breast cancer, the USPSTF stuck by their 2009 recommendations of screening mammograms every two years beginning at age 50 and optional self breast exams. The US Preventative Services Task Force on Mammography made a decision based on decades-old data which will turn the clock back 30 years when it comes to our breast health and the early detection of breast cancer. It looks as though we may be on the losing side in the fight against breast cancer.
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