No Ma’am-o-grams.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which is described as:
An independent panel of experts in primary care and prevention that systematically reviews the evidence of effectiveness and develops recommendations for clinical
preventive services.
has released findings discouraging women between the ages of 40-49?years ?from getting annual, or even biennial,?mammograms.? The ‘expert panel’ (which does NOT include a single oncologist) reversed their original recommendation because they figured that the mammograms were just costing too much and saving too little.?
“With its new recommendations, the [task force] is essentially telling women that mammography at age 40 to 49 saves lives; just not enough of them,” Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society.
Get ready folks, this is what we have to look forward to when the government becomes increasingly involved in health “care”.? Interestingly enough, one of the prime arguments about the cost of health care is the fact that there is not enough preventative care for people, or preventative steps?carried out by people, in an effort to keep more drastic and costly ailments from occurring.? This is undoubtedly a step toward government “suggested” rationing, which will become “mandatory” for people who end up signing up for the government run “public” option should we continue down this present course thanks to our legislators.?
-rj
It is worth noting that mammograms use radiation and can cause cancer. Mammograms can actually increase the risk of breast cancer death if they are used excessively by women with low likelihood of breast cancer (younger women without a family history). They are most useful for older women who are more likely to die from current breast cancer than from future breast cancers caused by the mammograms.