Medicare breast ultrasound coverage, crash driver Steven Schwally's lawyer, Mets
Steven Schwally, the driver in the deadly salon crash, appears in First District Court in Central Islip in July. Credit: James Carbone
Medicare must mull its breast coverage
A reader expressed her concerns about insurers’ noncoverage for breast ultrasound as not medically necessary unless a woman already has a palpable lump or abnormal mammographic finding even though she has dense breasts “Insurers’ breast coverage awful,” Musings, Sept. 30].
I am a breast cancer survivor who has had three lumpectomies. My radiologist insists that I have annual breast ultrasound as well as an annual mammography. I completely comply and agree with his recommendations. I pay out of pocket $250 for the ultrasound. Medicare has denied coverage for several years.
Would it make financial sense to continue to deny coverage for an individual with dense breasts as well as a history of breast cancer when a possible recurrence without ultrasound imaging could result in extensive treatment and surgical expense?
And what about the patient who is not financially able to pay the out-of-pocket cost?
— Donna Grossman, Oceanside
Maybe lawyers should say, ‘No comment’
Steven Schwally’s attorney said, “He couldn’t take his foot off the gas” [“Lawyer: Leg injury may be factor in crash,” News, Oct. 3]. Christopher Cassar wants us to believe that? Schwally apparently had no problem taking his foot off the gas when he drove up to stores to buy alcohol.
As a retired Suffolk County police detective, I think it would be better if defense attorneys take the lead from Michael Brown, attorney for Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann, by handling most media requests with a “No comment.”
— Vincent Stephan, Sayville
Thank Mets now for entertaining season
None of us knows what will happen in the Phillies series, but I’d like to thank the Mets organization for an incredibly entertaining season [“Hero-filled bandwagon rolls back into Citi Field,” Sports, Oct. 8].
In a world where everything seems upside down, where little seems to make sense, it’s wonderful to have witnessed a team that was counted out in May rising from the ashes. There’s a lesson here.
— Richard Peters, Merrick
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO JOIN OUR DAILY CONVERSATION. Just go to newsday.com/submitaletter and follow the prompts. Or email your opinion to letters@newsday.com. Submissions should be no more than 200 words. Please provide your full name, hometown, phone number and any relevant expertise or affiliation. Include the headline and date of the article you are responding to. Letters become the property of Newsday and are edited for all media. Due to volume, readers are limited to one letter in print every 45 days. Published letters reflect the ratio received on each topic.
