In the new healthcare laws that will take effect next year, it is said that all health insurance policies, including those purchased from the health insurance Marketplace, should cover all essential preventive health services, but what exactly are they? What kinds of health services are considered as preventive?
Preventive care, as the name implies, are health services that can help you stay healthy; either by screening known illnesses, providing you with immunization, or others. When the health insurance Marketplace is up and running, you can expect your policy to cover the cost of preventive services without the need for copayment or coinsurance; even if you have not met your annual deductible you can still avail of these services.
Here are some of the preventive health services that will soon be included in Marketplace private insurance plans and other health insurance plans:
- Alcohol misuse screening and counseling (for those who have problems with alcohol)
- Tobacco misuse screening and counseling (for adults, includes cessation intervention for heavy users)
- Blood pressure screening (for all ages, especially for those who are prone to heart disease)
- Cholesterol screening (for adults of certain ages, or people who are in higher risk)
- Diet counseling
- Depression screening (for adults only)
- Obesity screening and counseling services (for adults)
- Immunization vaccines (for Hep A and/or B, HPV, Herpes Zoster, Tetanus, Diptheria, Varicella, Influenza, etc)
- Sexually transmitted infection (STI) counseling (for adults who are in a position of higher risk)
- Breast cancer genetic test counseling (for adult women who are at risk)
- Mammography (breast cancer screening for women aged 40 and up)
- Cervical cancer (for adult women who are sexually active)
- Contraception (FDA-approved methods, sterilization procedures, counseling, and others)
- Domestic violence screening and counseling (for adult women)
These are just some of the preventive care that you can expect your health insurance to cover once the new health insurance law takes effect; You can find the complete list of preventive care measures covered by your insurance in the literature that your healthcare provider will give you.
