Posted by John Romano in News and Analysis on December 16, 2009
LOS ANGELES (YBH.ME) – California is the first state in the union to adopt a U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation to require breast cancer screenings from age 50 forward. The standard practice throughout the U.S. is to start annual screenings at age 40. In November, the Obama Administration backed off of the recommendation after a media firestorm and cries of rationing from conservatives.
California stops paying for breast exams under age 50.
The ban will only affect the poorest women in California, as the new policy only affects free screenings used by the poor. The program affected by the change goes under the now-ironic banner “Every Woman Counts”. It is unclear if insurers in California will follow suit and adopt the policy statewide. Women over 50 will still receive free screenings.
A spokesman for the California Department of Public Health blamed funding shortages, not the new Obama guidelines, as the reason for the policy change. The new policy goes into effect after January 1, 2010.