Overview
- Statutory insurers started covering the screening on April 1 for eligible people at high risk of lung cancer.
- To qualify, people must be 50 to 75 years old with at least 25 years of smoking and 15 pack‑years, and former smokers must have quit within the past 10 years.
- Participants first see a participating general practitioner or internist, who confirms eligibility and issues a referral to a certified radiology practice.
- The exam is a low‑dose computed tomography scan done once a year to spot tumors before symptoms appear.
- Nationwide access will build over time because GPs need special training and radiologists must secure approval from regional physician associations, and experts estimate roughly 2 million people could be eligible.