Komen Advocacy Alliance applauds new federal rules for no-cost access to mammography
April 03, 2016
Extending this protection to women age 40 and older was particularly welcomed by the Komen Advocacy Alliance. "By requiring health insurers to offer no-cost access to mammography for women age 40 to 49, HHS has relieved concerns women have had since the United States Preventive Services Task Force issued its controversial guidelines last fall," said Jennifer M. Luray, President of the Komen Advocacy Alliance. "We are grateful to Senators Barbara Mikulski (R-MD) and David Vitter (R-LA) for their roles in ensuring all women 40 and above have this access, in accordance with Komen's long-held recommendations."
Komen notes that early detection is a key to surviving breast cancer. While more than 200,000 women are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and almost 40,000 will die, 98 percent of breast cancer patients will survive at least five years if the cancer is discovered before it has spread beyond the breast compared to only 23 percent when the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
While applauding today's announcement, the Komen Advocacy Alliance also cautioned that government must maintain the safety net screening services funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, states and non-profits until all women have access to these new cancer screening benefits and we are assured women know how and when to access them.
SOURCE Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy