As you may know, the 16-member U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently released new recommendations on mammograms.  Their recommendations included raising the age to begin routine screening mammography from age 40 to age 50, moving from annual screening mammography for women aged 50 to 74 years to biennial screening, and no longer recommends screening mammography in women aged 75 and older.

I am extremely concerned that these recommendations and new guidelines are designed more to control health spending than to improve the health of patients.   I believe that all Americans should have access to the best possible health care and that improving access to early screening and detection will save money in the long run by preventing illnesses and catching them early when they are easiest to treat as well as improving patient outcomes and saving lives.  I am concerned that this ruling is just the first example of the types of government rationing that Americans can expect to see if the Democrats’ health reform bill is passed and the government takes control of an individual’s healthcare decisions.  I believe that decisions as personal as a person’s health should be between patients and their doctors, NOT between patients and the government.