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I recently interviewed a top physician at the Mayo Clinic about the excessive use of hysterectomies in this country. Although non-invasive alternatives have been developed, health insurance companies generally do not provide coverage for them. In their view, a hysterectomy is less expensive than local treatment for disease because it is definitive (if the uterus is gone, it can't cause any more problems, right?) However, hysterectomies can cause women to miss months of work while they recover, while non-invasive treatments like focused ultrasound are generally painless and may require only a few hours to days to recover. Yet, this is not a cost-saver for the insurance company (maybe it is for the patient and their employer) so they have no incentive to pay for the procedure.
Sadly, many women are not getting the best care and are not being made aware of all their treatment options.
To read more about this problem, please check out my original post and interview with Dr. Stewart.
