Costly Breast Cancer Screenings, and Other Links
Strange NYT headline: Despite new health law, some see sharp rise in premiums.
Wake up to the New York Times: Aetna’s CEO predicted this last month – because of the ACA, not in spite of.
Health Care Policy and Reform Insights | NCPA
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Recognition and Awards
“Despite new health law, some see sharp rise in premiums.”
– Surprise, Surprise..
“‘There’s a four-letter word called math,’ Ms. Voss said, referring to the underlying medical costs that help determine what an insurer should charge in premiums.”
A biting sense of humor.
There’s been a few posts about breast cancer screening lately. I recall the last one suggesting that screenings didn’t really help much and this one says it’s inconclusive. Is that intentional?
Medicare spends about $1.08 billion annually on breast cancer screenings, almost as much as the $1.36 billion it spends to treat the disease.
I wonder how much money Medicare spends on Pap Smears on women who’ve had a hysterectomy? Nationally, the percentage of women who’ve had a pap smear since getting a hysterectomy is more than 50%. Why would a doctor perform a cervical cancer test on women who don’t have a cervix?
“Regional variation is substantial and driven by the use of newer and more expensive technologies; it is unclear whether higher screening expenditures are achieving better breast cancer outcomes.”
This speaks volumes. While doctors agree that earlier cancer discover is directly correlated with higher survivability, it is interesting to see the JAMA reach the conclusion that expenses and positive results are not correlated.