When the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued guidelines in November that seemed to be leading the way for decreased coverage for breast cancer screening, women’s groups, doctors and imaging-equipment makers began putting pressure on lawmakers with angry calls and emails relating their confusion.

And Washington seems to be listening.

The Senate added an amendment from Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D., Md.) to its health-overhaul bill that effectively nullified the new guidelines and promised mammogram coverage for women starting at age 40. The House lawmakers voted unanimously for a resolution named for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D., Fla.), a breast-cancer survivor, saying the task-force guidelines shouldn’t be used by insurers to deny coverage for routine mammograms. Negotiations are currently in progress to include these measures in the final healthcare bill.

Keep yelling , girls!

Tags: breast cancer, legislation, mammogram

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