The White House said Wednesday that under the health care law passed earlier this year, insurance companies must provide cover preventive services without the policy-holder paying a deductible or co-payment.
The new regulations were issued by the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury. The Obama administration said the rules will help Americans gain easier access to services such as blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol tests; many cancer screenings; routine vaccinations; pre-natal care; and regular wellness visits for infants and children.
"Today, too many Americans do not get the high-quality preventive care they need to stay healthy, avoid or delay the onset of disease, lead productive lives, and reduce health care costs," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
The cost of covering these additional services will likely be passed on to consumers at some point, through higher insurance premiums. However, health groups and even the insurance industry welcomed the new regulations, saying they were within the scope of the legislation and should promote better health.
In announcing the new rules, the administration said chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, are responsible for 7 of 10 deaths among consumers each year and account for 75 percent of the nation's health spending -- and often are preventable. Nationally, consumers use preventive services at about half the recommended rate.
An estimated 11 million children and 59 million adults have private insurance that does not adequately cover immunization, the administration said.
"Getting access to early care and screenings will go a long way in preventing chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and high-blood pressure," said First Lady Michelle Obama. "And good preventative care will also help tackle an issue that is particularly important to me as First Lady and as a mother -- and that is the epidemic of childhood obesity in America today. These are important tools, and now it's up to us to use them."
Under the regulations, new health plans beginning on or after September 23, 2010, must cover preventive services that have strong scientific evidence of their health benefits, and these plans may no longer charge a patient a co-payment, coinsurance or deductible for these services when they are delivered by a network provider. Specifically, these recommendations include:
Evidence-based preventive services: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of scientific experts, rates preventive services based on the strength of the scientific evidence documenting their benefits. Preventive services with a "grade" of A or B, like breast and colon cancer screenings, screening for vitamin deficiencies during pregnancy, screenings for diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and tobacco cessation counseling will be covered under these rules.
Routine vaccines: Health plans will cover a set of standard vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices ranging from routine childhood immunizations to periodic tetanus shots for adults.
Prevention for children: Health plans will cover preventive care for children recommended under the Bright Futures guidelines, developed by the Health Resources and Services Administration with the American Academy of Pediatrics. These guidelines provide pediatricians and other health care professionals with recommendations on the services they should provide to children from birth to age 21 to keep them healthy and improve their chances of becoming healthy adults. The types of services that will be covered include regular pediatrician visits, vision and hearing screening, developmental assessments, immunizations, and screening and counseling to address obesity and help children maintain a healthy weight.
Prevention for women: Health plans will cover preventive care provided to women under both the Task Force recommendations and new guidelines being developed by an independent group of experts, including doctors, nurses, and scientists, which are expected to be issued by August 1, 2011.
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