Lung cancer screening would save thousands at a relatively low cost if routinely covered by commercial healthcare insurers, U.S. researchers said. Lead author Bruce Pyenson, an actuary and principal at the New York office of Milliman, a consulting and actuarial firm, said lung cancer causes more than 150,000 U.S. deaths each year, yet most insurance companies do not cover screening of high-risk individuals, even though they could pick up early-stage tumors. The researchers examined the costs and benefits of providing screenings via low-dose spiral computed tomography to smokers and long-term former smokers ages 50 to 64 -- those at high risk of developing lung cancer. "These results demonstrate the cost efficiency of offering this benefit to people who are at high risk of lung cancer," Pyenson said in a statement. "The evidence of the value of advanced screening technology for lung cancer accumulated to the point where we can show very strong cost-effectiveness for the commercial population. We could also jump the needle on cancer mortality for the first time in years, and do so in a cost-effective manner." The research team modeled insurer costs -- assuming about 18 million people fell into that high-risk category and about half would get the screening if it were a covered benefit -- at about $180 each and costing insurance companies about $247 per member tested annually. However, when the total expense of screening was spread over the commercially insured population, the cost was under $1 per insured member per month, Pyenson added. The findings were published in Health Affairs.
GMT 18:35 2018 Thursday ,11 January
Syrian refugee sets himself ablaze at UN office in LebanonGMT 18:48 2018 Tuesday ,09 January
Novo Nordisk woos Belgian nano-drug makerGMT 17:54 2017 Wednesday ,27 December
Medical evacuations begin from besieged Syria rebel bastionGMT 12:14 2017 Monday ,25 December
MoHAP successfully conducts cochlear implant operationGMT 18:24 2017 Sunday ,24 December
Palestinian conjoined twins arrive in RiyadhGMT 19:05 2017 Monday ,18 December
new! magazine names fitness & food editorGMT 17:03 2017 Wednesday ,29 November
Spain reports case of 'mad cow disease'GMT 14:05 2017 Saturday ,11 November
EU can't agree on new licence for controversial glyphosate weedkiller
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor