Some of the largest heath insurance companies in the nation are choosing not to cover the use of a power morcellator for hysterectomy procedures due to the serious cancer risk warnings issued by the FDA. Companies like Aetna Inc., Cigna, UnitedHealth Group Inc. and various others are changing the way power morcellators are classified, making it extremely difficult to obtain insurance coverage to use the medical tool.

This action comes as morcellation cancer risks prove too serious to ignore. Studies show that one in 350 women who use a power morcellator for a hysterectomy or myomectomy procedure are eventually diagnosed with uterine sarcoma.

The lack of insurance coverage may affect the estimated 50,000 women each year who undergo a hysterectomy or myomectomy procedure by choosing the less invasive laparoscopic incisions provided by a power morcellator.

Power Morcellator

The use of a power morcellator in hysterectomies means a shorter post-operative recovery time for patients compared to a traditional abdominal hysterectomy. However, the FDA has issued warnings that despite the benefits of a less invasive procedure, use of a power morcellator on uterine tissue that contains unsuspected cancer may in fact spread the cancer throughout the abdomen.

Studies show there’s no real way to detect if uterine sarcoma exists prior to having surgery, making the risk of using a power morcellator for the laparoscopic procedure serious or even life-threatening. 

FDA Warnings

The FDA power morcellator warnings addressed in a recent report encourage health care providers, patients and manufacturers to take the following actions:

• Health care providers are asked to limit the number of laparoscopic incisions that use a power morcellator and to “carefully consider available alternative treatment options for the removal of symptomatic uterine fibroids.”
• Patients are encouraged to seek out different options available, but if a doctor still recommends a laparoscopic hysterectomy or myomectomy make sure to find out if he/she plans to use a power morcellator.
• Power morcellator manufacturers are strongly urged to include a “black box” warning on all new and existing power morcellators, which is the strongest caution issued by the FDA before taking the product off the shelves.

After the FDA issued its serious warnings, one of the leading manufacturers of the power morcellator, Johnson & Johnson, decided to stop selling the product until the connection between the medical tool and its potential role in spreading cancer was better understood. However, this action has not stopped patients from filing morcellator lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson, alleging the company should have known the serious risks involved with using the medical tool yet downplayed any concerns.

Power Morcellator Lawsuits

The number of power morcellator lawsuits being filed continues to grow. Hundreds of women and families who have lost a loved one due to the spread of morcellation cancer are placing the blame on power morcellator manufacturers, including Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon subsidiary. Many of the lawsuits already filed allege manufacturers of this product endangered patients by failing to warn medical professionals and patients of the life-threatening risks involved with using this medical tool.

If you have suffered injuries after a power morcellator procedure, you may have legal claim to one of the morcellation cancer class action lawsuits currently in the investigative process.