The Obama administration distanced itself from new standards recommended this week by U.S. Preventivate services Task Force -USPSTF- saying government insurance programs would continue to cover routine mammograms for women start at age 40.
Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services stressed that the task force "is an outside indipendent panel of doctors and scientist who make recommendations" and who neither "set federal policy" nor "determine what services are covered by the federal government".
She also said: "I would be very surprised if any private insurance company changed its mammography coverage".
And now, let's see what companies say.
USA TODAY contacted same companies (Kaiser Permanente, Aetna, Cigna, Geisinger Health Plan, Group Health Cooperative and WellPoint) and they say that they will continue paying for mammograms for womein in their 40s. Those companies operate Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans in 14 states and cover more than 73 million people.
Companies, however, are not ignoring the task force's advice.
WellPoint says that the company considers the task force's recommandations but also weights advice from the American Cancer Society and American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Group Health Cooperative says that the company plans to look at the task force's recommendations next year but it would still pay for the screening.
Till When?
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