No mammograms for women 40-49 could cost 11,500 lives

The recently released medical report that caused a stir within American women regarding mammograms, could cost approximately 11,500 lives due to abstinence of the tests used to screen for deadly breast cancers.

The report stated women in the 40-49 age groups do not need to be tested on a yearly basis because a small number of misdiagnosis could cause panic until the correct diagnosis is made. In these cases it takes more tests and about a month to correct the mistake.

This is a tough sell for women. “I would rather live for a month thinking I have breast cancer than waiting until it’s too late and I die from breast cancer,” says Cindy Harris a 40-year-old nurse. “The tests, in my opinion, save lives, and are worth the cost. Period.”

However, this yearly test could cost or save the federal government millions of dollars per year. Medical literature basically states that mammogram screening for women 40-49 will save the life of one woman in every 1,900 screened.

There are 21.9 million women in that age group which means approximately 11,500 women will die of breast cancer that could have lived longer if the cancer was detected at its earliest stages.

Bureaucrats in Washington may think that is an acceptable ratio, but most women don’t think it’s worth the risk. Also, Doctors polled about the mammogram debate said they would pay to have their wives and mothers continue getting the breast cancer screening.

This just may be the best argument against the 2,000 page health care reform and the rationing that will surely follow a government take over.

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