Sleep Apnea Screening Needs Improvement

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine did a large study looking at the incidence of sleep apnea and whether or not we treated it. What was the economic impact of not bothering to diagnose or treat sleep apnea? Well, it turns out about four out of five people with sleep apnea don't know they have it because your doctors aren't testing for it. The US Preventative Healthcare Task Force recommends against routine sleep apnea screening. Now, it sounds absurd, but they're trying to control the purse strings. Because if we approve screening, which we historically have not allowed screening to occur, if you look at, say, breast cancer screening, colon cancer screening, this only really started to be required to be covered in 2010. But we know that this increases your risk of death by 3x if you miss it. Why would they suggest it again? It's all about dollars and cents. Look where the money's coming from.