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House bill would bar use of USPSTF guidelines to deny coverage
 March 11, 2010 -- A New Jersey representative has introduced legislation to the U.S. House of Representatives that would ensure preventive services, such as mammograms, could not be denied coverage for service by a group health plan or health insurance issuer as a result of federal guidelines.
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Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) introduced the bill March 9. Called the Safeguard Access to Preventative Services Act (H.R. 4794), it would protect mammography services from being denied or restricted by public or private health insurers as a result of the recommendations issued last fall by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), or any successor task force.
"While we don't know the cause or cure for cancer, we do know that early detection is still the best protection. My bill would make sure that women can't be denied coverage for the preventative screenings they need despite the misguided federal guidelines," Lance said in a statement.
The American College of Radiology (ACR) of Reston, VA, supports the bill.
"Simply allowing a small group of people, who may or may not have expertise in the particular subject matter, to publish periodic recommendations in a medical journal or via a Web posting, and have those recommendations serve as health coverage policy is unacceptable and potentially dangerous. The USPSTF process must be changed. This bill is a significant step in a sensible direction," said Dr. James Thrall, chair of the ACR Board of Chancellors, in a statement.
Related Reading
Avon: USPSTF guidelines already affecting access, February 22, 2010
USPSTF guidelines influencing doctors, poll finds, February 16, 2010
Editorial: Research flaws make USPSTF guidelines obsolete, February 8, 2010
ACR, SBI: Breast cancer screening should begin at 40, January 4, 2010
U.S. debate over mammograms splits along party lines, December 3, 2009
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