Per Section 1861(ddd) of the Social Security Act and implementing regulations at 42 CFR 410.64, CMS may cover "additional preventive services", if it determines through the national coverage determinations (NCD) process that the service is recommended with a grade A (strongly recommends) or grade B (recommends) rating by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and that it also meets certain other requirements.
The USPSTF recently published an updated recommendation with a grade B for certain persons at high risk for lung cancer based on age and smoking history for screening for lung cancer with low dose computed tomography (LDCT).
CMS received a complete, formal request to reconsider the NCD.
CMS is soliciting public comment relevant to the reconsideration. We are particularly interested in comments that include scientific evidence and that address the breadth of the request.
