Test for Newborns Is Questionable Medicine and Bad Policy
One health-care analyst takes issue with the groundswell of states considering a mandatory test for newborns that looks for signs of congenital heart disease. Writing on Medpagetoday, Gary Schwitzer says, "The tests aren't always accurate ... and some doctors say they will prompt follow-up tests that could prove expensive -- perhaps as much as $1,500."
He quotes physicians concerned not only about cost, but who question that the tests will even have a positive effect on outcomes. "Politicians love screening tests," Schwitzer writes, "[w]hether evidence supports the tests or not."
For example, he says that at least 28 states have enacted laws requiring insurers to include coverage for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, never mind that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) disagrees. He also cites the new federal health-care reform legislation, which ignores the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations on mammography.
"In the apparent attempt to look like do-gooders, politicians may inadvertently cause harm by legislating screening mandates that don't reflect all of the available evidence."
The trouble with both prostate testing and mammograms is that they produce a lot of false alarms that lead to further testing and sometimes harmful treatment, with no eventual upside in lives saved or lives prolonged.
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