Lung Cancer screening to now be covered under Medicare effective immediately

Low Dose CT lung cancer screening for elderly and disabled on Medicare will be effective immediately.

U.S. health regulators on Thursday approved Medicare coverage for lung cancer screening by low-dose CT, the first time the government health insurance program for the elderly and disabled will pay for such a program of early detection in an effort to save lives.

The decision applies to Medicare beneficiaries aged 55-77 who are current smokers or who quit within the last 15 years, and who racked up at least 30 “pack years.” The latter is possible if they smoked one pack a day for 30 years, for instance, two packs a day for 15 or three packs a day for a decade.

The coverage is effective immediately, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced, and applies nationwide.

Some of this I do not agree with as it has been known for non smokers to get lung cancer from second hand smoke. Obviously if you are 45 and have early cancer from second hand smoke, you will be out of luck and have to wait until you have full blown cancer and it may not be treatable by then. As most know, early detection saves lives. What if you are 55 and only quit within the last 2 years? Too bad? Dig your hole Vern, cuz you gonna die? How about only 2 packs a day? Again too bad?

The usually-incurable disease will kill about 158,000 people in the U.S. this year, according to the American Cancer Society; 221,200 cases will be diagnosed.

a reply to: Anyafaj

Nah i think you are interpriting this wrong. Many people can get lung cancer from say inhaling poisons or lung irritants. Like aspestis.

All they are saying is, if you are a smoker. You won't be shunned. At least that how i see it and hope they meant it that way.

It's better than say, Shunning smokers and not giving them coverage because of life choices.

a reply to: Anyafaj

I think that there should be a lung cancer screening once a year for everyone; not just people who are current smokers or ones that quit in the last 15 years. There are many people who are non-smokers that could get lung cancer too. To me this new medicare coverage is too selective.

originally posted by: caladonea
a reply to: Anyafaj

I think that there should be a lung cancer screening once a year for everyone; not just people who are current smokers or ones that quit in the last 15 years. There are many people who are non-smokers that could get lung cancer too. To me this new medicare coverage is too selective.

I agree. There are many reasons people get lung cancer. As much as this is a step in the right direction, more could be done. I imagine the money spent treating lung cancer is much more than the money Medicare would spend on a test to screen for it. To me it's just more cost effective to screen for it than it is to attempt to treat it later in life.