Many health insurers and employers have begun giving women incentives to get mammograms each year, but research suggests doing so may be unnecessary, according to The New York Times.
Incentives can include anything from monetary payment to gift cards, according to the article.
Recent studies suggest yearly mammograms may not be necessary — or beneficial — for every woman. The United States Preventive Services Task Force recently recommended women ages 50 to 74 get a mammogram every other year. The American Cancer Society advised women ages 45 to 54 get yearly mammograms, then get screenings every other year afterward.
The article's author, Harald Schmidt, PhD, said, due to the Preventive Services Task Force's findings, we "do not know that regular screening reduces the chances of dying from breast cancer, but the reduction seems to be small."
Instead, Dr. Schmidt, an assistant professor of medical ethics and health policy at Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania, claims insurers and employers should incentivize women in a different way — by "pay[ing] them to use a tool to decide whether they should get mammograms."