>Friday, November 20, 2009
Health Care Rationing Now Hits Pap Smears?
https://hummersandcigarettes.blogspot.com/2009/11/health-care-rationing-now-hits-pap.html
MSNBC is reporting a change on the frequency of pap smears for 20-year-olds (emphasis added):
20-somethings can go 2 years between Paps
New guidelines say it’s enough to spot slow-growing cervical cancer
The Associated Press
updated 6:23 a.m. CT, Fri., Nov . 20, 2009
WASHINGTON – Most women in their 20s can have a Pap smear every two years instead of annually, say new guidelines that conclude that’s enough to catch slow-growing cervical cancer.
The change by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists comes amid a completely separate debate over when regular mammograms to detect breast cancer should begin. The timing of the Pap guidelines is coincidence, said ACOG, which began reviewing its recommendations in late 2007 and published the update Friday in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.
The guidelines also say:
– Routine Paps should start at age 21. Previously, ACOG had urged a first Pap either within three years of first sexual intercourse or at age 21. Women 30 and older should wait three years between Paps once they’ve had three consecutive clear tests. Other national guidelines have long recommended the three-year interval; ACOG had previously backed a two- to three-year wait.
– Women 30 and older should wait three years between Paps once they’ve had three consecutive clear tests. Other national guidelines have long recommended the three-year interval; ACOG had previously backed a two- to three-year wait.
– Women with HIV, other immune-weakening conditions or previous cervical abnormalities may need more frequent screening.
Paps can spot pre-cancerous changes in the cervix in time to prevent invasive cancer, and widespread use has halved cervical cancer rates in the U.S. in recent decades. About 11,270 new cases will be diagnosed this year, and about 4,070 women will die from it, according to American Cancer Society estimates. Half of women diagnosed with cervical cancer have never had a Pap, and another 10 percent haven’t had one in five years.
…
As someone who personally had a “bad” pap smear in her early 20’s and was fortunate enough to get treatment immediately, I worry about the adoption of this decision possibly leading to more incidences of cervical cancer that could have been prevented. Is this another example of health care rationing coming our way, should ObamaCare get shoved down our throats? Less quality health care for more money?
Posted by KMacGinn at 7:28 AM
Labels: health care, ObamaCare
https://hummersandcigarettes.blogspot.com/2009/11/health-care-rationing-now-hits-pap.html