How Many Healthcare Dollars Go into Screening Mammograms Among Women in Their 40s?

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that screening mammography be initiated in women at age 50, with decisions about such screening in younger women being individualized. In contrast, other professional societies recommend that screening begin at age 40 or 45. To assess the costs associated with mammography screening among U.S. women in their 40s with private insurance, investigators queried a claims database from 2017 to identify such women who were eligible and who were screened. Testing during the subsequent 4 months was also ascertained. Costs were extrapolated to all U.S. women in their 40s with private insurance.

The claims database included >2 million women between ages 40 and 49, 41.2% of whom had screening mammograms …