New lung cancer screening guidelines could cost Medicare $9.3 billion

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New lung cancer screening guidelines could cost Medicare $9.3 billion

By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) - A study of Medicare beneficiaries with a history of heavy smoking found that new lung cancer screening guidelines would likely double the proportion of lung cancers found at an early stage, but at a steep cost of some $9.3 billion over five years, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday. The analysis, released ahead of the American Society for Clinical Oncology meeting from May 30 to June 3 in Chicago, estimates for the first time the cost of implementing new recommendations released last December by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Under President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, private insurers are required to cover preventive services with a grade of \"B\" or higher without a copay. The law does not require the Medicare health plan for people age 65 and older to do so.

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