The mainstream is finally starting to question the wisdom of giving mammograms to even young, healthy women. They’ve also smartened up enough to realize that women with a supposedly higher risk of breast cancer should avoid them even more since the radiation could actually further increase their risk.

That’s why I was appalled to find out that elderly women with severe dementia–women with a life expectancy of just 3.3 years–are being given mammograms. In fact, according to the results of a recent study, 18 percent of these women are undergoing these screenings. And for what?

Even if they do have breast cancer, there’s almost no chance it would develop into a life-threatening illness during their remaining time on earth. But if a lump is discovered, you can bet your co-pay that some unscrupulous surgeon will be pushing for surgery… turning those final years into a living hell.

But I know what’s really going on here. It’s a blatant money grab, plain and simple. According to the study published in the American Journal of Public Health, dementia patients are twice as likely to get these exams if they’re married and have a net worth of at least $100,000.

Perhaps that’s because poorer women are more likely to be on Medicare, which only pays back a fraction of the cost of a screening.

You’re not going to meet your Ferrari payments that way.

Wealthier women, on the other hand, are more likely to have better insurance… or families who will pay for the screenings out of their own pocket, very likely tricked into thinking they’re doing the right thing for their loved one.

And because they suffer from severe dementia, these women usually don’t have a chance to make their own decisions or to put a stop to this nonsense. Even if they tried, would anyone even listen?

There’s no denying–we’ve come a long way on these things over the past year. The mainstream is taking a big gulp and admitting that the advice they’ve given to women for years was dangerous and wrong.

But we’ve still got a long way to go–and a lot of women that still need our protection from this exploitation.