On February 10, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it updated its lung cancer screening eligibility guidelines for people covered by Medicare to be similar to the USPSTF guidelines (CMS guidelines are for ages 50-77 instead of the USPSTF guidelines of ages 50-80). As a result of the Affordable Care Act, most private insurance plans are required to cover lung cancer screening for those now at high risk under the USPSTF criteria for plan years beginning after March… read more
So, 3 years ago when I was 81 my doctor did order a scan and they did find cancer and I have had it radiated (killed), and I get to go on living without fear. All they want to do is control their cost by saying "They are so old they are going to die of something soon so why pay to screen for cancer?" I don't know about you, but I just don't like that kind of thinking.
The reason you were denied is because you quit smoking 30 years ago and you're 84 years old. The thinking (whether it makes sense to you or not is irrelevant) is that if you quit 30 years ago and you're 84 now, if you were going to get lung cancer you would have gotten it long since. If your doc orders a CT scan because he sees a reason to do so, Medicare should cover it. It won't necessarily be the low-dose screening one, but if a CT scan is prescribed, they should pay.
Enjoy your life and worry about nothing. My mom worried and worried me. Always saying she was going to die. She lived to 93 and my father's mother to 104. We go when the good Lord takes us. Now quality of life is important. We need to strive to be as well as can be and be of service to others. I believe that is what we are here on earth for