Breast Cancer Screenings Cost Nearly Same as Treatments
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, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The study's lead author recommended further study on whether mammograms are effective.
- "Medicare Spends $1 Billion on Mammograms: Study" (Seaman, Reuters, 1/8).
- "Higher Breast Cancer Screening Costs Don't Mean Better Detection" (Ostrow, Bloomberg News/Bangor Daily News, 1/8).
- "Medicare Pays $415M Annually For Breast Cancer Screenings in Women Over 75" (Lupkin, ABC News, 1/8).