Medicare is moving to cover lung cancer screenings for older people who have a history of smoking at least one pack of cigarettes per day. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) had previously announced its decision to provide the CT scan coverage in November. The agency issued its final national coverage determination on Thursday, prompting praise from advocates who said thousands of lives would be saved. Medicare beneficiaries will have to meet specific criteria in order to qualify for screenings, which will cost nothing to recipients: they must be between ages 55 and 77, receive a written order from a physician, and have a history of smoking at least one pack a day for 30 years.
