No cost low density CAT scans for former smokers Archived Message
Posted by Riverbender  on January 9, 2020, 8:25 am, in reply to "Cancer Deaths See Largest Drop On Record-thank you President Trump"
Medicare and most insurance plans cover these
American Cancer Society Guideline
The American Cancer Society recommends yearly lung cancer screening with LDCT scans for people who are 55 to 74 years old, are in fairly good health, and who also meet the following conditions:
Are current smokers or smokers who have quit in the past 15 years.
and
Have at least a 30 pack-year smoking history. (This is the number of years you smoked multiplied by the number of packs of cigarettes per day. For example, someone who smoked 2 packs per day for 15 years [2 x 15 = 30] has 30 pack-years of smoking. A person who smoked 1 pack per day for 30 years [1x 30 = 30] also has 30 pack-years of smoking.)
and
Receive counseling to quit smoking if they are current smokers.
and
Have been told by their doctor about the possible benefits, limits, and harms of screening with LDCT scans.
and
Have a facility where they can go that has experience in lung cancer screening and treatment.
Medicare covers screening
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) decided low-dose CT will be reimbursed once a year for Medicare patients who are eligible for lung cancer screening. People must be 55 to 77 years old, have at least a 30 pack-year history of smoking, and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years.
Because lung screening is recommended by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), private insurers have also begun covering the tests. However, the criteria for screening eligibility are slightly different. For example, USPSTF guidelines call for screening up to age 80.
https://www.cancer.org/latest-news/who-should-be-screened-for-lung-cancer.html
https://www.lung.org/our-initiatives/saved-by-the-scan/
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