KCAL Insurance Agency
Phone: (800) 681-8288 E-mail: info@kcal.net
Health Tests at No Cost
The White House on July 14 issued new rules requiring health insurance companies to provide free coverage for dozens of screenings, laboratory tests and other types of preventive care. The rules stipulate that no co-payments can be charged for tests and screenings recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of scientific experts. The rules will eliminate co-payments, deductibles and other charges for blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol tests; many cancer screenings; routine vaccinations; prenatal care; and regular wellness visits for infants and children. Other services that must be offered at no charge include counseling to help people stop smoking; screening and counseling for obesity; and tests for infection with the virus that causes AIDS.
In many cases, insurers will be allowed to charge for goods and services needed to treat a condition detected in a screening. For example, consumers can receive free screenings for depression and high cholesterol, but they might be charged co-payments for antidepressants and cholesterol-lowering drugs. In some cases, the task force has specified how frequently a service, like colonoscopy, should be performed. If the guidelines are silent, the rules say, an insurer may use “reasonable medical management techniques to determine the frequency” of services.
The rules apply to new health plans that begin coverage after Sept. 23 and to existing health plans that make significant changes after that date. The rules would extend benefits to 31 million people in new employer-sponsored plans and 10 million people in new individual plans next year.
Source: NY Times
In many cases, insurers will be allowed to charge for goods and services needed to treat a condition detected in a screening. For example, consumers can receive free screenings for depression and high cholesterol, but they might be charged co-payments for antidepressants and cholesterol-lowering drugs. In some cases, the task force has specified how frequently a service, like colonoscopy, should be performed. If the guidelines are silent, the rules say, an insurer may use “reasonable medical management techniques to determine the frequency” of services.
The rules apply to new health plans that begin coverage after Sept. 23 and to existing health plans that make significant changes after that date. The rules would extend benefits to 31 million people in new employer-sponsored plans and 10 million people in new individual plans next year.
Source: NY Times