Costs of mammograms should be reimbursed by third-party payors or covered by health maintenance organizations. By itself, this statement is hardly controversial. After all, it argues-as does BCA's policy on mammograms for informed decision making by women faced with conflicting data about the benefits of the technology. The short answer to this question lies in the way the media likes to cover stories. Personal testimonials by women who believe their lives have been saved by mammograms make much better and more compelling reading than the text of the consensus conference's report.
Controversy also makes better press.
Then, of course, there are those whose vested interests impassion their arguments. The American College of Radiology, whose members make part of their livings by doing mammograms, not only criticized the consensus statement, but recommended that the screening interval for women 40 to 49 be shortened to once a year. Of course, none of the conclusions would trouble the ACS if the organization had been more forthcoming in the first instance about the risks and benefits of mammographic screening. By promoting mammograms as an unqualified good, the ACS has helped to mislead American women about the value of the technology. The debate ignores the third and most fundamental problem.