John Phillips, at The Word on Employment Law, reacts the way most people should to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's recent recommendation change on Mammograms.

I was taken aback by the recent recommendation to scale back screening mammograms from every 1 - 2 years for women over age 40 to every other year for women over 50. 

It was particularly puzzling because there has been significant progress made in the early detection and treatment of breast cancer.  That progress has been made, in large part, because awareness has been raised and relatively low-cost screenings have been encourage.

I consulted with some well-informed medical experts in the field of prevention and they too were confounded by the change.  Further, they indicated that similar recommendations may be forthcoming on pap smears.  The USPS Task Force is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services and is but one source for screening and prevention guidelines.  It is notable that the National Comprehensive Care Network (NCCN), The American Cancer Society and other organizations indicate that they have no plans to change their screening recommendations.