County's Medicare mammography rates lag behind state average

Staff Writer

      According to the Iowa Foundation for Medical Care, only about half of Iowa's Medicare eligible women receive recommended mammograms. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among Iowa women, but in Henry County just 49.9 percent of Medicare eligible women have had a mammogram in the past two years, falling short of the 52.7 percent state level.

      Robin Poole, director of Henry County's Care for Yourself, the Iowa Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program at Henry County Public Health, says these are disturbing facts.

      "Sometimes women over 65 think they don't need a mammogram, but the older you get, the higher your risk (of getting breast cancer,)" she warns. "I'm not saying you can't get it at 35, it happens, but your risk increases with age."

      The American Cancer Society recommends getting a mammogram every year after age 40.

      "Many women in Iowa are unnecessarily putting themselves at risk by not getting regular mammograms," Mike Speight of the Iowa Foundation for Medical Care said in a statement. "Physicians need to be much more aggressive in encouraging women to have regular mammograms and clinical breast examinations. Despite breast cancer public awareness campaigns, the mammography rates have simply not improved significantly."

      Mammograms are a low-dose X-ray, says Poole, and women should not be concerned about safety when getting the test. In addition, she says that the Care for Yourself program is geared towards women who do not have Medicare or other forms of insurance to cover the cost of a mammogram. To find out if you may be eligible for the Care for Yourself program you may call Poole at Henry County Public Health at 319/385-6724 or visit http://www.idph.state.ia.us/careforyourself/default.asp, where the income guidelines are listed. Poole encourages women to do monthly breast exams because it is easier to recognize when something has changed, but she says a lump that is evident to the touch feel is going to be much larger than one a mammogram can detect. The smaller the lump when detected the better the patient's chances of successful treatment.