Hologic, Inc. has expressed support for new federal measures that preserve access to mammography for breast cancer screening and increase incentives for biomedical research and development. These measures were recently passed with bipartisan Congressional support and signed into law by the President.
Essential components of the Protect Access to Lifesaving Screenings (PALS) Act (H.R. 3339 and S. 1926) were included in an appropriations measure that places a two-year moratorium on implementation of any new breast cancer screening recommendations by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). If finalized and implemented in their current draft form, these recommendations would have allowed insurance companies to charge women ages 40-49 a co-payment or other out-of-pocket costs for mammograms, potentially limiting access for up to 22 million women.
The recently passed tax extenders legislation provides a two-year moratorium on the 2.3% excise tax charged on the sale of medical devices under the Affordable Care Act, and also makes permanent the Federal research tax credit, which recently had been extended on an annual basis.
"Hologic is grateful to the bipartisan coalition in Congress that introduced the PALS Act, which will preserve free access to mammograms for younger women who are often more likely to develop aggressive breast cancer," said Steve MacMillan, the Company's chairman, president and CEO. "We are also pleased that the tax extenders legislation increases incentives for companies to pursue innovative research and development in the United States by suspending the onerous excise tax on medical device sales, and by making permanent the federal R&D tax credit."
Hologic believes that all women should have access to the life-saving benefits of mammography for breast cancer screening, regardless of their age or ability to pay. In addition, the Company is committed to educating women about new, state-of-the-art mammograms that have been proven superior to traditional methods. Specifically, clinical studies have shown that Hologic's GeniusTM 3-D MammogramsTM can detect 41 percent more invasive breast cancers than conventional methods, while simultaneously reducing unnecessary patient call-backs by up to 40 percent.
Source & Image Credit: Hologic
