The government's new role in your health

Remember the group that touched off a firestorm last year when it recommended that women start getting routine mammograms at age 50 instead of 40?

Sure enough, it will play an even bigger role in the future.

It's the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a volunteer group made up of primary care and public health experts. The Washington Post reports:

For years, an obscure federal task force sifted through medical literature on colonoscopies, prostate-cancer screening and fluoride treatments, ferreting out the best evidence for doctors to use in caring for their patients. But now its recommendations have financial implications, raising the stakes for patients, doctors and others in the health-care industry.

Here's the important point:

Under the new law, the task force could become a political lightning rod. If it doesn't recommend a service, insurers might not pay for it, and advocates might argue the decision is a barrier to care. If the panel does back a service, it might increase patients' access, as well as create new business opportunities. 

This isn't the only group in the new game.

In addition to the task force, other scientific bodies and government groups will also help determine the services that must be covered. For instance, plans must also cover a set of standard vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, as well as screening practices for children that have been developed by the Health Resources and Services Administration in conjunction the American Academy of Pediatrics.

 You and your doctor and some faceless bureaucrat at your insurance company? Those were the days.