U.S. senator calls for mammo reimbursement

U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) is calling on U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell to ensure the continued availability of free mammograms for women 40 years and older.

Mikulski's request comes after the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) on April 20 declined to expand its recommendation of which women should receive regular mammography screening. The agency issued a draft of new breast screening guidelines that largely follows its more conservative guidance from 2009.

Mikulski, who serves as vice chairperson of the Senate Appropriations Committee and is a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, fears the USPSTF recommendation will eliminate free preventive health coverage for women in their 40s, according to a press release on her website.

Mikulski hopes to protect her women's health amendment to the Affordable Care Act, which requires that certain preventive healthcare measures be covered by health insurance plans, with no co-payments or deductibles.