Health Care Costs Force Women to Skip Mammograms and Pap Tests

With the economy faltering, more women are unemployed or working without health care coverage. When it comes to cutting costs, they are quick to put their annual health exams to the bottom of the list of necessary expenses. The key to surviving breast cancer or cervical cancer is early detection. Women who opt to skip a mammogram or pap test for several years in a row, or until the economy is better, are putting themselves at risk of missing danger signs that are discovered only through these specialized exams.

What exams are recommended for women and how often?

Breast self exams should be done every month by all women from about the age of 20. The best time to do this exam is after menstruation ends, when the body is no longer retaining fluids. Checking for lumps or changes in your breasts every month will alert you to a possible problem. If you notice a change, see your doctor as soon as possible. This is free and there is no excuse for not taking a few minutes each month to care for your health.

Mammograms, or a screening mammography, should be done every year starting at age 40. At this time, a health professional will also do a clinical breast examination. Since this is an expensive exam, women who don't have insurance to cover the yearly mammogram will often skip it and hope for the best. Breast centers in hospitals throughout the country have programs for women to have free mammograms if they don't have insurance. California's Department of Health has a program called "Every Woman Counts". It is a cancer detection program to give breast and cervical cancer screenings to women with no insurance. It's funded by a federal grant and tax revenues from tobacco.

In Ventura County, CA, free mammograms are offered 4 times during the year, in different areas of the county. They are done by appointment only through the Community Memorial Health System. Women are seen in groups of 10 on a Saturday morning when the clinic and The Breast Center are normally closed. Regular staff volunteers to work on these days. The women meet at the clinic where they are given a clinical breast exam by a doctor. Their blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature are checked. A drop of blood is taken to check for diabetes and anemia. The results are available right away. The clinic offers coffee, juice, and bread rolls while they wait.

When all the women have been checked, transportation is provided to The Breast Center in Ventura. Volunteers meet the women and take them to the waiting room where there are more surprises. Another table of juice and bagels is set up for this special group. There is a drawing with two raffle prizes with pink ribbon logos. A bag of healthcare literature and small gifts is distributed and then, before leaving, each woman is given a fleece blanket roll with The Breast Center logo. The transportation is waiting to take the women back to the clinic and it's all done within two hours.

These programs are available throughout the country, so if you don't have insurance, ask about obtaining a free mammogram at your local health care office.

Cervical cancer screenings, also known as a "Pap Smear" or "Pap Test", is another exam that is important for women to have done regularly. The Cancer Society recommends a pap test once every 3 years, beginning 3 years after the first sexual intercourse, but no later than age 21. Women who have been vaccinated against HPVs still need to have a pap test. All women should continue having a pap test up to the age of 70. The risk of cervical cancer increases with age, so women over 50, even if they have reached menopause, should continue to have a pap test. It doesn't matter if a woman is lesbian, is married, is abstaining from sexual intercourse, or in some instances, has even had a hysterectomy. The chance of cervical cancer remains for all women between the ages of 18 and 70.

If you don't have insurance, there are programs across the country, such as the California Every Woman Counts program, that has funds set aside for cancer detection screenings. Ask at your local health office.

Bone Density Testing could be important if you are a woman over the age of 65, or have certain risk factors such as a family history of osteoporosis, smoke or drink heavily, don't exercise, or have a diet low in calcium. This test is covered by some insurance plans, including Medicare. The cost of a bone density test for a low-risk individual is as low as $30-$50. There are treatments for osteoporosis, but prevention is easier than the treatment. If you are around the age of 65, talk to your doctor about osteoporosis at your next opportunity.