Doctors aren’t just for treating illness; they’re also key to providing preventive services designed to keep you healthy. Because of this, the Affordable Care Act requires that all new health insurance plans offered by private carriers fully cover certain preventive services at no cost to you—that means no copayments or coinsurance. This applies even if you have not yet met your yearly deductible. So long as these preventive services are administered by in-network physicians, they must be offered to you at no cost. Some of the free preventive services include, but are not limited to:
· Blood pressure screening
· Cholesterol screening
· Diabetes (Type 2) screening
· Gestational diabetes screening
· Colorectal cancer screening
· Breast cancer mammography screening
· Cervical cancer screening
· Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening
· Anemia screening
· Osteoporosis screening
· Urinary tract or other infection screening
· Annual checkups
· A variety of immunizations
· Contraception methods and counseling
· Preventive health services for children
o Vision screening
o Developmental screening and behavioral assessments
o Sickle cell screening
o Autism screening
o A variety of immunizations
Health reform became law on March 23, 2010. Therefore, any insurance plans that were already in place before that date are considered grandfathered and may not be required to comply with several provisions of the ACA. However, changes to benefit designs of those plans may cause them to lose their grandfathered status, resulting in the required compliance with all aspects of the new law.
Do you have a question about what your insurance policy will or will not cover? Call Allen Harmon Agency at (269) 441-5164 for more information on Battle Creek health insurance.