On December 15, the House approved, 426-0, a resolution (H. Res. 971) regarding recently released breast cancer screening guidelines for women age 40 to 49. Earlier this month, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing to review the revised mammography screening recommendations released by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) (see The Source, 12/4/09).
Sponsored by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), H. Res. 971 contains several findings, including:
The resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the new USPSTF guidelines “would not prohibit an insurer from providing coverage for mammography services in addition to those recommended by the USPSTF and should not be used by insurers to deny coverage for services that are not recommended on a routine basis.” The resolution also states that “the National Cancer Institute should continue to invest and provide leadership regarding research to develop more effective screening tools and strategies for improving detection of breast cancer.”
Rep. Wasserman Schultz discussed the importance of the resolution, saying, “At the end of the day, mammography screening saves lives. And I offer this resolution to underscore the House’s commitment to expanding access to preventive health care for women. This resolution underscores the sense of the House that the task force recommendations must not be used by insurers who are, at the end of the day, getting in between women and their doctors and getting women the access that they need to preventive services…[W]e cannot leave certain women, particularly young women, with nothing, which is what the task force recommendations essentially did…We must ensure that they have access to screening and treatment.”
Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC) said, in support of the resolution, “We all know mammograms aren’t perfect, and we hope that before long we are going to have better technology that will do the job. But cancer is a tricky disease, and breast cancer exams, sure, could lead to some tests that maybe aren’t necessary, and the same with mammograms, and some people can say it’s all nerve-racking to do it. But as a breast cancer survivor, I know that screening works. It saves lives. And it’s not always easy. I had to go to several doctors before my cancer was detected. If I hadn’t been persistent and sought the timely screening which did find mine, I might not be standing here today. The simple truth is that screening does save lives. It makes a difference for many women.”
