The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is "concerned" by a Medicare panel's April 30 vote expressing doubt about Medicare payment for low-dose CT lung cancer screening.
In its statement, ASTRO said it urges the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to support the December 2013 proposal by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), which scored low-dose CT as a grade B screening procedure. The grade requires private insurance payors to cover low-dose CT screening under the terms of the Affordable Care Act, but Medicare is not required to do the same.
The USPSTF statement recommended annual lung cancer screening with low-dose CT in adults ages 55 to 80 years who have a 30-pack-year smoking history and who currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years.
