The yearly mammogram is such a wonderful thing. Sure, stick my breast in a vice and squeeze. I love the procedure so much I even devised my own yearly calendar--one that boasts 16 months. Trust me, women will make any excuse to avoid the mammogram. So it's no surprise that even the smallest co-payment can be a deterrant.

A recent New England Journal of Medicine study found that relatively small co-payments were associated with significantly lower mammogram rates among women. The research, from Brown University, showed that women who had to fork over that co-pay made the visit 8 percent less than women with full coverage. This gem of a finding is true even if you factor what a woman earns and whatever her educational background.

Now there's a movement to do away with the co-pay, something that would cost insurance companies a lot less in the long run. As for me, my 16-month year is up. So just take the damn ten dollars and get it over with.