Prevention Matters

The Senate voted 61-39 Thursday "to safeguard coverage of mammograms and preventive screening tests for women under any health care overhaul legislation." The revision, which was advanced by Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, "would allow the Health and Human Services secretary to require insurers to cover preventive health screenings free of charge."

The vote came in the wake of recent controversy over federal task force recommendations that women in their 40s consult with their doctors about the advisability of getting mammograms, rather than considering them a routine procedure. On a 59-41 vote, the Senate rejected an amendment by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, to ensure the task force recommendations could be ignored.