by Coral Aponte CTNewsJunkie
HARTFORD, CT– In an effort to raise awareness about coronary calcium scans, lawmakers held a news conference Wednesday, in honor of American Heart Month, to ask doctors and patients to advocate for the scans to prevent heart attacks.
The coronary calcium scans looks for calcium deposits in the heart’s arteries. The results can help determine the risk of heart attacks or strokes in patients, according to the Mayo Clinic website.
The scan is about $200 if you pay out of pocket, said Rep. Tammy Exum, D-West Hartford. She said doctors don’t usually mention the scan because, up until recently, insurs didn’t cover it.
Last year, the legislature passed Senate Bill 1, which included language requiring insurance companies to cover the cost of the calcium scans.
“No insurance company that’s answerable to the state of Connecticut can deny a calcium test, and if they do we will make sure they are educated,” said Sen. Saud Anwar, a South Windsor Democrat and medical doctor.
Dr. Edward Schuster, an internist and cardiologist, also spoke about heart disease, which he said kills 700,000 Americans every year, adding that 800,000 Americans get a heart attack every year, and 20,000 Americans have sudden cardiac death.
“The checkup doesn’t help you. The EKG doesn’t help you. Even a stress test can miss things. So, the question is, what can we do to see if you’re building up cholesterol in your arteries and your risk for getting a heart attack? That’s called the calcium score,” Schuster said.
He said you can’t tell who has heart disease from external characteristics, which is where the calcium scan comes in. If your score is zero, that means you have no cholesterol in your arteries, if it’s 100 or higher then there would be conversations about diet, exercise, and cholesterol pills, he said.
Exum said she found out about calcium scans 15 months ago when the autopsy reports of her late husband, Earl, showed a blockage in his arteries causing him to have a widow-maker heart attack.
When recalling the story, she said the coroner was shocked considering how healthy Earl looked. She said the scan could have allowed them to put preventative measures in place.
“I am asking doctors to really speak and talk to their patients about it but to build this awareness amongst the community so you can advocate for yourself,” Exum said.
Speaker of the House Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, said he recently took a calcium scan, not because his doctor recommended it but because he wanted to.
Ritter said the scan took six minutes and he got his results the next day.
“It’s not cumbersome, and we have to make it more affordable, and accessible,” Ritter said.
Cardiologist Edward Schuster, MD, of Stamford Medical Group, speaks to reporters during the coronary calcium scan awareness news conference on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, at the legislative Office Building in Hartford. Credit: Screenshot / CT House Dems Youtube