More than 17 million women in their 40s could be forced to pay for a vital breast cancer test, according to a new analysis.
Obamacare requires insurers to cover preventive health measures such as mammogram screening for breast cancer, but only if it gets a grade of A or B from a federal task force.
Last month, the task force recommended giving mammography screening for women ages 40 years and older a C because it could result in false positives and unnecessary treatments for lower-risk women.
The research firm Avalere Health found on Wednesday that 17 million women ages 40 to 49 would lose guaranteed coverage if the task force finalizes the proposal.
In 2009, the task force also recommended the breast cancer screening test get a C for women in their 40s. The Affordable Care Act circumvented that recommendation by stipulating that insurers had to follow a 2002 recommendation that gave mammography screening a B.
In April the task force released a new draft recommendation that mirrors the 2009 version, Avalere said.
If finalized, it would become the new standard and eliminate guaranteed coverage for women ages 40 to 49.
“Health plans would still have the option to offer coverage without cost sharing above and beyond the minimum ACA requirements,” Avalere said.
A comment period on the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force ends on Monday.
