Medicare Plans Coverage for All Treatments of Actinic Keratoses

WASHINGTON—Medicare will soon institute a policy to cover all its beneficiaries for treatments to remove actinic keratoses, sun-induced precancerous skin lesions confined to the epidermis. The decision establishes the first national coverage policy for the disorder without restrictions based on lesion or patient characteristics.

Previously, some Medicare contractors had restricted coverage to specific lesion types, such as those located on specific parts of the body, or to certain patients, such as those with a history of skin cancer.