By
Cat Viglienzoni - July 14, 2010
First Lady Michelle Obama will announce improved health
care for preventive care, such as counseling for children with weight problems and cancer screenings for their parents. Under the new health care law, many
insurance plans will have to offer a variety of preventive care services with
no out-of-pocket cost to beneficiaries.
Out-of-pocket costs include co-pays, deductibles and
coinsurance.
The Obama administration will unveil its new consumer
rules today. Michelle Obama is expected to announce that 41 million people will
benefit initially, with the number expected to rise to 88 million by 2013. Many
larger company plans that already offer wider preventive care benefits, will
not be affected by the change. Medicare recipients will also be exempt from
out-of-pocket costs for most preventive care under the new health care law.
"We know that the best way to keep our families
healthy and cut health care costs is to keep people from getting sick in the
first place," Michelle Obama said in prepared remarks.
Premiums are expected to be on average 1.5 percent higher
because the cost of preventive care is spread over the entire group of people.
But individually, out-of-pocket savings could be considerable, which could lead
to more people taking recommended tests. Research indicates people tend to skip
recommended tests if there is an out-of-pocket cost involved - even a modest
one.
Preventive care aims to catch problems before they worsen
- for example, catching high cholesterol before it leads to heart disease. Four
types of tests fall under the new exemptions, including routine vaccinations
for adults and children and screenings recommended with an 'A' or 'B' by the
U.S. Preventative Services Task force. These include breast cancer, colon
cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure tests. For children,
well-baby visits to a pediatrician, vision and hearing tests, and counseling to
help young people maintain a healthy weight are covered. To-be-determined women's
health screenings will also be included.
The requirements will take effect for plans renewing on or after Sept. 23, meaning most beneficiaries will start seeing the benefits by the beginning of next year.
(Photo
courtesy: AP Images)
