New health plans to provide free preventive care
The White House added new rules to make preventive care services available at no charge as part of the Affordable Care Act that Congress passed in March.
The regulations issued on Wednesday by Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury apply to new health plans that begin coverage after September 23.
The rules intend to reduce health care costs by eliminating co-payments, coinsurance, deductibles and other charges for preventive services.
Covered preventive services for adults include blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol tests, many cancer screenings, depression screening and routine vaccinations.
For women and pregnant women, services for prenatal care, breast cancer screening, osteoporosis screening and other will become available.
Preventive services for children include dietary supplements, obesity screening, behavior assessments and other vaccinations.
The White House commented that serious diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer can often be prevented, but are still responsible for seven of 10 deaths among Americans each year.
A list of covered services can be found at: http://www.healthcare.gov/law/about/provisions/services/lists.html