Authors: Anita K. McGlothlin, Senior Director, Economics & Health Policy, GO2 for Lung Cancer and Angela Criswell, MA, CPS, Director, Quality Screening and Program Initiatives, GO2 for Lung Cancer

Lung cancer screening with a low-dose computed tomography (also known as low-dose CT or LDCT) scan is the only current, proven method that can detect lung cancer earlier, before symptoms occur, when it is more treatable and even curable. Falling rates of cancer mortality in recent years have been driven by lower rates of lung cancer mortality since screening was approved by Medicare in 2015.

Coverage recently expanded nearly doubling the eligible population.

Medicare is still catching up with commercial insurance policies and recently broadened its coverage of low dose CT lung cancer screening, opening access to this free annual preventive service for even more people at high risk for lung cancer. On February 10, 2022, Medicare updated their national policy to be more in line with the current U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) lung cancer screening guidelines and to bring forward preventive services benefits in the Medicare population. This update is a major milestone for the lung cancer community, as screening with low dose CT is proven to detect lung cancer at a much earlier stage when it is easier to treat and more likely to be cured, and this coverage expansion nearly doubles those who are now eligible for it.

By broadening coverage of lung cancer screening, Medicare is not only expanding the opportunity to save lives through early detection, but also helping reduce disparities in how lung cancer impacts underserved and minority populations. The American Cancer Society predicts that over 131,000  Americans will die in 2022 from lung cancer, and screening is the best way to turn this tide. Widespread screening could save 30,000-60,000 Americans, and it is important to share the news about the expanded coverage of annual screening so that all who are eligible know and can take action.

How do you know if you or your loved ones should get screened?

Primary requirements for annual screening

The primary requirements for screening eligibility focus on age and smoking history.

  • AGE: Are you at least 50 years old?
  • SMOKING HISTORY: Do you currently smoke, or if you’ve quit, has it been within the past 15 years? How heavily do or did you smoke?

When it comes to age, most private insurances following the USPSTF guidelines and cover lung cancer screening for individuals aged 50-80, while Medicare coverage starts at 50 but ends at 77.  To determine if someone’s smoking history places them at higher risk for lung cancer, USPSTF and Medicare both now require a 20-pack year history for lung cancer screening eligibility. To calculate this, think about how many packs of cigarettes you or your loved ones smoke/d per day, on average—a 20 pack year history means you smoked a pack a day on average for 20 years, or two packs a day for 10 years.

Other risk factors

While Medicare and private insurance coverage for lung cancer screening comes with age and smoking history requirements (and these are by far the largest risk factors for lung cancer), there are other things that may also increase your risk. For example, if lung cancer runs in your family, or if you’ve been diagnosed with another cancer or with COPD, you might be at greater risk for lung cancer. Or if you’ve been exposed to cancer-causing agents like asbestos or diesel fumes at work or high levels of radon in your home, that may increase your risk. If this is you, tell your doctor. A low-dose CT scan might be right for you.

Lung cancer screening saves lives—so don’t wait!

GO2 for Lung Cancer makes it easy to learn about lung cancer screening—including information on risk factors, details on screening eligibility and where to go to get screened. To learn more about screening or to find out if you or a loved one are at risk, explore our screening resources or call our HelpLine at 1-800-298-2436.