McSally Urges Expanding TRICARE Breast Cancer Screening Options

ARIZONA — U.S. Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) initiated a letter pushing the U.S. Department of Defense to raise TRICARE’s standard of care coverage to include preventive 3D mammography, rather than just 2D, for earlier breast cancer detection for current and former U.S servicewomen. The bipartisan letter was also signed by senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Susan M. Collins (R-ME), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).

The letter is addressed to Thomas McCaffery, the defense department's Assistant Secretary of Health Affairs, and says, in part, "Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women, exceeded only by lung cancer. However, when detected in an early and localized stage, overall chance of survival increases dramatically, which is why accurate and efficient screening is essential.

“While digital mammography screening is covered by TRICARE, the technology only provides a two-dimensional image … and therefore has inherent limitations in detecting cancer. Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (also known as DBT or 3D mammography), which is now the standard of care in all 50 states, was developed to address the limitations of two-dimensional imaging. … Hundreds of recent studies have shown that DBT is superior in breast cancer detection.

The letter went on to say TRICARE is the only national payer not to cover the more advanced screening, "creating a lower standard of care for the women who serve in our armed forces."

Some 93 percent of American women ages 40-74 have reimbursement and coverage for 3D mammography through private insurance, Medicaid or Medicare, the letter said. It added that many current and former servicewomen have to pay for the more advanced screening out of pocket, with some consequently forgoing the procedure because of the cost. The $55.86 DBT average screening price currently available with Medicare “is minimal in comparison to the cost of additional testing and treatment that may be required if cancer is not detected in its early stages.”

The screening also cuts the probability of additional imaging or callbacks by almost 40 percent, raising overall cost effectiveness, the letter said.

The letter then reiterates that “TRICARE remains the only national player that does not provide coverage for DBT, and their beneficiaries continue to be put at a disadvantage. We urge you to implement coverage for DBT so that our servicemembers are provided with the efficient screening and care they deserve,” the letter concluded.

Read the senators’ entire letter.