Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois

Breast cancer is the number two cause of cancer deaths among women in the U.S.  Screening is the number one way to detect breast cancer. 

Preventive care could save your life. Screening for breast cancer can help detect the disease in its early stages, when it’s easier to treat.  However, not all groups agree with the screening guidelines. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says women should start testing at age 50 and repeat the test every two years. Other groups suggest other beginning screening ages as early as 40 for women of average risk, or women with no family history of breast cancer.  Bear in mind that your doctor may want you to be screened earlier if you have a family history. It can get confusing, but screenings are important, so it’s best to establish a healthy relationship with your doctor and identify the right guidelines for your age, lifestyle and medical situation.

You may not know: the Affordable Care Act (ACA) covers mammograms for women over age 40. Based on your insurance plan, a mammogram could be free for you!

Women in their 40's 
Talk to your doctor about when you should start having breast cancer screenings. Together you can decide what's best for you based on your risk level. Not sure what to ask? Here are a few talking points to bring up at your next appointment:

• The role of mammograms in early detection of breast cancer.
• Your risk of breast cancer
• Risks and limits of mammograms
• Your family’s medical history
• The role of breast self-exams in helping you become more familiar with your breasts, which may help you find abnormalities or changes
• The benefits of a clinical breast exam by your doctor

Women in their 50's or older 
If you’re in this age bracket, you should talk to your doctor about getting mammograms every 2 years. Based on your risk level, you may even choose to get them more often. Communication is key here, so talk with your doctor to decide what’s best for you.

Well-woman visit
Think about getting a yearly well-woman visit with a doctor or nurse practitioner. The well-woman visit can go a long way to help you stay healthy. All Health Insurance Marketplace health plans and many other plans must cover the yearly health exam for women without charging you a copayment or coinsurance, as long as you see an in-network provider. This holds true even if you haven’t met your yearly deductible.

Well-woman visits involve a full health exam. These visits focus on preventive care for women, which may include:

• Tests to check for early signs of diseases, when they may be simpler to treat
• Services, such as vaccinations, that help your health by preventing diseases and other health problems
• Education and counseling

Cancer screening
As with the well-woman visits, all Marketplace plans and many other plans will cover these cancer screening services without charging you a copayment or coinsurance at an in-network provider, whether or not you’ve met your yearly deductible.

• Breast cancer Genetic Test Counseling (BRCA) for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations  to learn the benefits and risks of genetic testing
• Breast cancer Chemoprevention counseling to see if  chemoprevention drugs will lower your chance of getting breast cancer
• Pap tests to screen for cervical cancer
• Colorectal cancer screening for colon or rectum cancer

Your life isn’t worth the risk of not getting screened.

Are you up-to-date on proper preventive care?

Most recent update: 10/2/2017

Resources:  U.S. Preventive Services Task Force;  CDC; American Cancer Society:  Mayo Clinic