Affordable Care Act Implementation FAQs - Set 12
Set out below are additional Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding implementation of various provisions of the Affordable Care Act. These FAQs have been prepared jointly by the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Treasury (collectively, the Departments). Like previously issued FAQs, these FAQs answers questions from stakeholders to help people understand the new law and benefit from it, as intended.
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Q6: Does the recommendation for genetic counseling and evaluation for routine breast cancer susceptibility gene (BRCA) testing include the BRCA test itself?
Yes. HHS believes that the scope of the recommendation includes both genetic counseling and BRCA testing, if appropriate, for a woman as determined by her health care provider.
PHS Act section 2713 addresses coverage for evidence-based items or services with a rating of “A” or “B” in the current recommendations of the USPSTF, as well as coverage for preventive care and screenings as provided for in comprehensive guidelines released by HRSA. The USPSTF recommends with a “B” rating that “women whose family history is associated with an increased risk for deleterious mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes be referred for genetic counseling and evaluation for BRCA testing.”
The HRSA Guidelines, released by HHS in August 2011, incorporate by reference relevant portions of an Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report, released on July 19, 2011. In some instances, the IOM Committee Report provides additional interpretation of USPSTF recommendations. For the USPSTF BRCA recommendation, the IOM Committee interpreted the recommendation to include “referral for genetic counseling and BRCA testing, if appropriate.” Thus, genetic counseling and BRCA testing, if appropriate, must be made available as a preventive service without cost-sharing.
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