Officials: Mammogram Program Cuts Will Not Affect Medi-Cal Enrollees
On Wednesday, state health officials clarified that women enrolled in Medi-Cal would continue to receive coverage for routine breast cancer screenings despite scheduled cuts to the state's "Every Woman Counts" program, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Every Woman Counts currently provides no-cost mammograms to low-income women who do not qualify for Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program. Currently, the program provides mammography services for women ages 40 and older.
In response to a budget crunch, officials recently announced that the program would stop providing breast cancer screenings to women younger than age 50 starting Jan. 1, 2010. On the same day, the state plans to impose a six-month freeze on all new enrollment for the program.
Department of Public Health spokesperson Al Lundeen and Department of Health Care Services spokesperson Norman Williams said Medi-Cal will continue to reimburse private health care providers for conducting routine mammograms (Sanders, Sacramento Bee, 12/17). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.