WOMEN AND MAMMOGRAMS

Dr. Jill Vecchio, a Colorado Radiologist who is head of the Breast cancer section at Lutheran Hospital claims that women now can have mammograms only every other year starting at age 50 and going to age 74.  If the exams are given every year the physician is subject to a fine and can even be put in jail.*  I don't have a dog in this fight, but I did find the following:  

Medicare

As a part of the Affordable Care Act, Medicare covers the full cost of a mammogram once every 12 months for all women with Medicare aged 40 and over. (Women are eligible for Medicare if they are age 65 and older, are disabled, or have end-stage renal disease.) Medicare also pays for a clinical breast exam when it is done for screening or prevention.  See the whole article at:  http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/BreastCancer/MoreInformation/BreastCancerEarlyDetection/breast-cancer-early-detection-paying-for-br-ca-screening

Thus, I cannot confirm the hysterical claim by the good breast cancer specialist who says mammograms are allowed only every other year beginning at age 50 and that it is illegal to perform mammograms every year and that she could be fined and put in jail.  As nearly as I can tell, the  breast cancer specialist has a political ax to grind and is either ill informed or lying.  She gives no reference for her claim.

However I also found the following concerning the age 50 and every other year:

 The reason is that, based on the findings, giving mammograms to women every other year from ages 50 to 69 reduces breast cancer deaths by 16.5 percent over a lifetime. If screening is started at age 40 and continued every other year, there's a 19.5 percent lifetime reduction in deaths from breast cancer. That 3 percent difference translates roughly to saving one woman's life for every 1,000 who are screened but also causing hundreds of false positive results (when an abnormality is detected that isn't really cancer) and dozens of unnecessary biopsies. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/CancerPreventionAndTreatment/answers-mammograms-breast-cancer/story?id=17409110#.UHwrdq7Z3Sg

The Mayo clinic recommends that mammograms be annual starting at age 40.  (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mammogram-guidelines/AN02052)

In spite of this, there are dangers from mammograms because of the x-rays and false positives: Many women have undergone unnecessary chemotherapy, radiation and mastectomies after receiving false positive results on a mammogram.  http://www.naturalnews.com/033458_mammography_dangers.html

A few comments: I am surprised at the small percentage of breast cancer deaths saved by mammograms.  I thought it was close to 100%.  I am also surprised there is no danger from the extreme compression of the breast in performing mammograms, but I can find no evidence of this:  http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/answering-your-questions-about-mammograms/4076/

*  https://www.youtube.com/embed/6e3udzHIiVs?feature=player_detailpage