[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 97 (Friday, June 27, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S8856]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 MEDICARE REIMBURSEMENT OF MAMMOGRAPHY

  Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, I rise to state for the record my 
strong support of Senator Harkin's amendment to the Medicare 
prescription drug bill (S. 1) to increase Medicare reimbursement for 
mammorgrams. I am a proud cosponsor of this amendment. I am pleased 
that Senator Grassley and Senator Baucus agreed to include it in the 
Medicare prescription drug legislation that passed the Senate earlier 
today. Americans must have access to mammography because it is an 
important tool to screen and detect breast cancer.
  It is vital for Medicare beneficiaries to have access to mammography. 
A woman's risk of having breast cancer increases with age. A woman's 
chance of getting breast cancer is 1 out of 2,212 by age 30. This 
increases to 1 out of 23 by age 60 and 1 out of 10 by age 80. More than 
85 percent of breast cancers occur in women over the age of 50. There 
will be 70 million Americans aged 65 and over in 2030. At the same time 
about 700 mammography facilities have closed nationwide over the last 2 
years. Adequate reimbursement is essential to help ensure that women 
have access to this important screening tool. This amendment will 
increase Medicare reimbursement for mammograms. This amendment is also 
an important step to help radiologists enter and remain in the field of 
mammography by providing more adequate reimbursement. Mammography is 
not perfect, but it is the best tool we have now.
  I have long fought to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries have access 
to mammography. I cosponsored the Assure Access to Mammography Act, S. 
869, that would increase Medicare reimbursement for mammograms. It 
would also increase the number of radiologists by increasing Medicare 
graduate medical education, GME, to provide three additional 
radiologists in each teaching hospital. In 1990, I introduced the 
Medicare Screening Mammography Amendments of 1990 to provide Medicare 
coverage of annual screening mammography. My legislation was included 
in the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990. Before that, Medicare 
did not cover routine annual screening mammograms. Additional 
legislation since then has expanded access to mammography for Medicare 
beneficiaries. I will continue to fight to ensure that women have 
access to quality mammography, and I urge that the final version of the 
Medicare prescription drug bill include provisions to increase Medicare 
reimbursement for mammograms.

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