# Plain Language Summary: Increasing Access to Osteoporosis Testing for Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2021

Right now, Medicare pays very little for bone density tests that detect osteoporosis, a disease where bones become weak and brittle. This bill sets a minimum payment amount that Medicare must pay for these tests starting in 2022. Specifically, it requires Medicare to pay at least $98 for a standard bone density scan, $35 for a follow-up scan, and $133 for a combined scan that also checks for spine fractures. These might sound like small amounts, but they matter because doctors have been dropping out of the business of offering these tests—Medicare's payments have been cut by over 70 percent since 2007, causing nearly half of the offices that offered bone density testing to close down.

The problem this bill is trying to solve is real and serious. Osteoporosis is called a "silent disease" because people don't know they have it until they break a bone. One out of two women and up to one in four men will suffer an osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime, and these fractures are devastating—they often lead to permanent disability, nursing home care, and even death. The bill points out that women are hit especially hard, accounting for 71 percent of osteoporotic fractures. Because fewer doctors are offering bone density tests due to low Medicare payments, about 1.65 million women are currently going undiagnosed and untreated for osteoporosis.

By guaranteeing a minimum payment for these tests, the bill aims to make it worthwhile for doctors and clinics to keep offering bone density screening. When more people can get tested, more cases of osteoporosis can be caught early, before fractures happen. This could prevent millions of dollars in emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and long-term care costs. For Medicare beneficiaries, it means easier access to a simple test that could literally save their lives by catching a serious disease before it causes a life-altering fracture.

Increasing Access to Osteoporosis Testing for Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2021

Larson, John B.

Increasing Access to Osteoporosis Testing for Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2021 This bill specifies that certain Medicare payment rules applicable to imaging services shall apply to dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry services used in bone mass scans beginning in 2022. The Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services must establish national minimum payment amounts for such services.