Medicare proposes wider carotid stent coverage
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Medicare officials proposed expanding coverage of carotid artery stenting procedures to prevent strokes, the agency said in a statement on Thursday.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said it was proposing to cover the procedure for certain patients without symptoms who have artery narrowing of greater than 80 percent.
For patients age 80 and older, the CMS plan would allow coverage only when the stents are implanted as part of a study. The agency said it wanted to limit coverage for older patients because "significant concerns regarding safety" had emerged for that age group.
Carotid stents are tiny wire-mesh tubes inserted via a small puncture in the groin and threaded through the blood vessels and into the carotid artery in the neck. The goal is to keep the arteries clear of fat deposits that can break off, drift to the brain and cause strokes.
Several medical device makers have U.S. regulatory approval for carotid stents, including Abbott Laboratories Inc., Boston Scientific Corp., Johnson & Johnson, Ev3 Inc. and C.R. Bard Inc.
Medicare is the federal health insurance program that covers about 43 million elderly and disabled Americans. The new coverage proposal is open for comment for 30 days.
