Medicare coverage urged for lung test



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WASHINGTON — More than 130 lawmakers are urging the administration of President Barack Obama to expand coverage for a lung-cancer test under Medicare that could cost the program billions, calling the screening important for vulnerable senior citizens.

In a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the lawmakers called for a timely decision on coverage for low-dose CT scans for older patients at higher risk of developing lung cancer.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in December recommended the test for people ages 55 through 79 who smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years, or the equivalent. That’s about 10 million Americans. The low-dose CT scan will be covered by private insurance as required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act with no copays, beginning Jan. 1.

But the new health care law doesn’t require Medicare to cover the screenings, which cost $100 to as much as $400. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is reviewing the proposal, with a preliminary decision expected by November.

The letter was led by Reps. Jim Renacci, R-Ohio; Charles Boustany, R-La.; John Barrow, D-Ga. and Richard Neal, D-Mass. It was signed by 130 other lawmakers.

A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services spokesman said the agency’s decision will be based on whether the test is “reasonable and necessary,” without regard to its cost to Medicare.

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