Preserving Mammograms

It was only a matter of time before politicians acted on the great mammogram debate.

Senators yesterday passed an amendment to the health reform bill that basically upends a government task force's recommendation that younger women don't need to get breast cancer exams. The Senate passed the amendment 61-39 to forbid insurance companies from requiring co-payments on women's preventative health services, such as mammograms.

It's positive move for women who want screenings, the thousands of doctors who give the exams and the companies that make the machines, General Electric Co., Siemens AG and Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV. The machines range in price from $250,000 to $750,000 for the latest digital models.

The insurers, like Aetna Inc. and WellPoint Inc., have said they aren't changing their policies on paying for breast cancer exams just yet. However, they do look to government guidelines on what should and shouldn't be covered.

That recommendation from the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force last month created a firestorm of anger. Amid accusations that this task force was motivated politically to ration health care services, it's interesting to note that mammograms are relatively inexpensive tests. The average Medicare reimbursement payment is $89.