In a Reversal, U.S. Says Medicare Won’t Cover Stents for Neck Arteries

 

Responding to criticism from surgeons, the government has dropped its previously announced plans to expand Medicare coverage for the use of stents to prop open neck arteries to prevent strokes.

Instead, Medicare will stick with definitions that restrict eligibility for such stents to fewer than 10 percent of the 150,000 to 200,000 Americans who annually undergo surgery to clear blockages that restrict blood flow to the brain and raise stroke risks.

Source: In a Reversal, U.S. Says Medicare Won’t Cover Stents for Neck Arteries - New York Times