Senate Affirms Screening Mammography for 40-Year-Olds

US Pharm. 2010;35(1):14.

Washington, DC — The Senate voted 61 to 39 to approve an amendment to the proposed health care reform bill that would require health insurers to cover mammograms for women ages 40 to 49. The vote was contrary to a recent U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation that women under 50 should not undergo routine mammograms. The bipartisan amendment, sponsored by Barbara Mikulski (D, Maryland) and Olympia Snowe (R, Maine), would increase coverage and eliminate copays for more women’s preventive services than the underlying bill contained.