The Perennial War Over Breast Cancer Screening

Of the many perennial debates over health care coverage, the fury over breast cancer screening is as fraught and intractable as any. Even with technologies that have been around forever, the data limp along behind, and the war between "find it early!" and "too many false positives!" rages on.

Now, there's even a piece of legislation named for the first camp, and it's getting that rarest of things: bi-partisan political support.

"The organization is supporting the Find It Early Act, legislation proposed by Representative Rosa DeLauro, Democrat of Connecticut, and Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, Republican of Pennsylvania. The measure would ensure that all health insurance plans cover screening and diagnostic breast imaging, including mammograms, ultrasounds and M.R.I.s, with no cost sharing."

On the other hand...

"...neither the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists nor the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has endorsed additional breast cancer screening methods for patients with dense breast tissue. There is insufficient data from clinical trials to do so, the groups say. There are also disadvantages associated with supplementary screening methods, such as a high rate of false positives with ultrasounds, which cause unnecessary anxiety and follow-up care, and the high costs associated with M.R.I. scans...."