Costs Keep Some Women from Mammograms

According to a press release published in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), researchers who surveyed women attending breast cancer screening appointments found that one in five is likely to skip additional testing after an abnormal finding on their mammogram if there is a deducible or co-pay.

Other findings of the research show:

• 18% of women surveyed said they would skip a screening mammogram if there was a deductible or co-pay
• Hispanic women were most likely to skip additional testing
• The Affordable Care Act removed out-of-pocket costs for screening mammograms under most health plans but does not cover costs for additional imaging or biopsy

Since 2006, A Silver Lining Foundation’s (ASLF) Buy a Mom a Mammogram® program (BAMAM) has provided cost-free breast health testing for those who are uninsured, underinsured and/or ineligible for other breast health testing programs.  

“This study reinforces why we do what we do,” said Sandy Goldberg, Ph.D., ASLF’s co-founder and CEO. “In 2022, 24 women were diagnosed with breast cancer through our BAMAM program. It pains me to think what would’ve happened to these women if programs like ours didn’t exist.”

Review the full RSNA press release and study findings

Review ASLF’s BAMAM impact