Draft legislation would delay implementation of USPSTF breast cancer screening recommendations another year

Implementation of breast cancer screening recommendations published by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has been delayed by various pieces of legislation since they were first finalized. Now, according to an update from the American College of Radiology (ACR), the House Appropriations Committee has approved draft legislation that would extend the current delay in implementation by another year, all the way to Jan. 1, 2021.

The push to delay implementation comes because the USPSTF recommendations gave mammograms for women ages 40 to 49 and annual mammograms for women ages 50 to 74 a “C” grade, meaning private insurers would not be required by the Affordable Care Act to cover those exams.

The ACR noted that the draft legislation also includes an increase in National Institutes of Health funding of $1.25 billion, increasing its overall budget to $38.3 billion.

The legislation is now being sent to a joint House-Senate conference committee so it can be reconciled with the Senate version of the same bill. Votes by the full House and Senate, and a final review from President Trump, would then follow

Radiology Business interviewed Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, chair of the USPSTF, about the breast cancer screening recommendations back in 2016. More recent coverage of the recommendations and their potential impact on patient care can also be read here, here and here.