A new bill may reverse Medicare cuts that reduced testing for osteoporosis, the bone-thinning disease affecting tens of millions of men and women over 50. 

Medicare reimbursement for DXA testing has been cut substantially, prompting many physicians, clinics and mobile physicians to discontinue the procedure, and potentially jeopardizing baby boomers' quality of care.

That's especially concerning given that many older adults already shrug off osteoporosis tests. Less than 14 percent of those eligible get tested for the disease, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. 

The “Medicare Fracture Prevention and Osteoporosis Testing Act of 2007,” sponsored by Nevada Rep. Shelley Berkley, would renew funding for the imaging process known as DXA, or Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. 

It's projected that one in two women over 50, and one in four men, will break a bone due to osteoporosis, based on the foundation's data. These broken bones generally occur in the hip, spine and wrist, causing an estimated 2 million fractures each year that result in immobility, pain, placement in a nursing home or other health problems.

The popular diabetes drug Avandia was linked recently to bone thinning, a discovery that could help explain why diabetics can have an increased risk of fractures.

An Ounce of Prevention
Osteoporosis is preventable when detected early, which means early testing also could help shore up Medicare's budget in the long run. Restoring DXA funds to last year's levels will save the Medicare program $1.14 billion over five years due to the reduced number of osteoporosis fractures, according to a Lewin Group study.

Prevention for both men and women is tied to sufficient calcium intake, regular exercise, and proper nutrition, among other factors. If osteoporosis does develop, treatments are available. The most commonly prescribed drugs are known as bisphosphonates, which is the active ingredient in medications such as Actonel and Boniva.

In addition to treatments, researchers continue to focus on early testing methods that could predict those most vulnerable to fractures. The Journal of the American Medical Association recently published an article about a University of California, Davis, doctor who developed a computer program that offers women a personalized indication of their osteoporosis risk.

While that program will require further testing before it's released into the mainstream, the recently introduced legislation builds on federal initiatives already in place to increase fracture prevention efforts.

Last May, House members were briefed on how the disease could hurt the aging US population. More attention, too, is being devoted to male osteoporosis as an important public health issue as lifespans increase.