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With the approach of Mother's Day, Medicare is reminding Americans that coverage for annual screening mammograms is now available for women over the age of 40 who are enrolled in Medicare.

"As a new mother, I know that Mother's Day gives us the perfect opportunity to show our mothers that we care about them and their health," said Nancy-Ann DeParle, administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration, the federal agency that runs Medicare. "Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths for women in the United States, and the risk of getting it increases with age."

The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 expanded the Medicare coverage of screening mammograms from once every other year to once a year. Medicare pays 80 percent of the approved amount for a screening mammogram and the patient must pay the remaining 20 percent.

By age 40, a woman's chances of getting breast cancer are 1 out of 233; by age 50, it's 1 out of 53; by age 60, it's 1 out of 22; by age 70, chances are 1 out of 13; and by age 80, chances are 1 out of 9. Research also shows that older women do not recognize that advancing age is the strongest risk factor for breast cancer, even stronger than family history.

Women who would like more information about breast cancer prevention, screening and treatment can contact NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER or visit their Internet web site at: http://www.nci.nih.gov. Medicare information is available 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), or at http://www.medicare.gov/.

"A screening mammogram is one of the best tools available to detect breast cancer early, when it can be treated most effectively," said DeParle. "Helping our mothers and grandmothers get mammograms is one of the best ways to say that we love them and want them to stay healthy."