COUNTYWIDE : Medicare Covers Pap Tests for Elderly

Medicare insurance will cover Pap smear screenings for about 33,000 elderly women in Ventura County, a Social Security spokeswoman says.

The tests can detect cervical cancer in its early stages.

Mary Ann Foushee, field representative for the Social Security Administration in Ventura, said previously that Medicare paid for Pap smears only for patients who were being treated for certain medical conditions, including some forms of cancer.

“But now, Medicare will help cover the cost of Pap smear screenings once every three years for all women who are enrolled in Medicare medical insurance,” Foushee said.

There are 32,925 women over age 65 in the county who receive Medicare benefits. The screenings are also available to some women who receive federal disability benefits, Foushee said.

For these women, Medicare will pay 80% of the approved charge of the screening after the woman meets a yearly $100 deductible payment.

According to the American Cancer Society, 13,500 women in the United States will contract cervical cancer this year, and 6,000 women will die of the disease. A California Department of Health Services survey showed that women between the ages of 65 and 69 had the highest incidence--21.7 per 100,000--of cervical cancer in 1988.