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Table 6 Medicare Cancer Screening Coverage versus USPSTF A & B Recommendations by 2015

From: Effectiveness of Medicare cost-sharing elimination for Cancer screening on utilization

Screenings

Medicare Coverage Policies¶

USPSTF Guidelines §

Mammograms

Annually for female Medicare beneficiaries ≥40

(baseline at 35)

Biennial screening mammography for women 50–74 years (Grade B)

Pap smears

All female Medicare beneficiaries are eligible

(Biennially for women at normal risk)

Screening for cervical cancer in women age 21–65 years with cytology (Pap smear) every 3 years (Grade A)

Colonoscopy

All men and women beginning at age 50 years, every 10 years

Adults, beginning at age 50 years and continuing until age 75 years, every 10 years (Grade A)

  1. ¶Medicare-Covered Preventive Services. © 2015 Medicare Rights Center. Available at https://www.ncoa.org/wp-content/uploads/medicare-preventive-services-mrc.pdf. Accessed May 14, 2019
  2. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Final Recommendation Statement Breast Cancer: Screening. January 2016. Available at https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/RecommendationStatementFinal/breast-cancer-screening1. Accessed May 14, 2019.
  3. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Final Recommendation Statement Colorectal Cancer: Screening. Update of Previous USPSTF Recommendation. June 2016. Available at https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/RecommendationStatementFinal/colorectal-cancer-screening2#Pod8. Accessed May 14, 2019.
  4. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Final Recommendation Statement Cervical Cancer: Screening. Update of Previous USPSTF Recommendation. August 2018. Available at https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/RecommendationStatementFinal/cervical-cancer-screening2#Pod8. Accessed May 14, 2019.
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BMC Health Services Research

ISSN: 1472-6963

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