Thanks to efforts by U.S. Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ), the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) plans to make 3D mammography screenings available next year for active-duty U.S. female military service members under DOD’s TRICARE medical insurance.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Thomas McCaffery sent Sen. McSally a Nov. 21 letter responding to her September request to add Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) screenings to TRICARE’s coverage.
“I’m glad to see the Department of Defense step up and provide needed coverage for DBT screenings to our active-duty service members and others,” Sen. McSally said. “This commonsense change will benefit the many women who utilize TRICARE.”
DBT builds a three-dimensional image to improve the detection and diagnosis of breast cancer. The technology is already available to women who use healthcare provided under Medicare or by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, but TRICARE covers only mammograms with two-dimensional images.
Specifically, McCaffery wrote that he has approved adding DBT for screening purposes to the TRICARE benefit under TRICARE’s provisional coverage authority, which will allow coverage for emerging healthcare services and supplies.
“This coverage will be effective for services rendered on or after January 1, 2020, and the Defense Health Agency is working to ensure full implementation in early 2020,” he wrote to Sen. McSally.
McCaffery’s Nov. 21 response was sent the same day Sen. McSally introduced the Better and Robust Screening Today (BRST) Act, S. 2944, to require that DOD cover DBT screenings. The bipartisan bill has 10 cosponsors, including U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Susan Collins (R-ME), and lead cosponsor U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).
“I urge the United States Preventive Services Task Force to recommend DBT for breast cancer screening to ensure permanent coverage of this much-needed service,” said Sen. McSally.