More people using free preventive benefits provided by Affordable Care Act

[cbayer]

WASHINGTON, Oct 06, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reported today that nearly 20.5 million people with Medicare reviewed their health status at a free Annual Wellness Visit or received other preventive services with no deductible or cost sharing this year. In addition, nearly 1.8 million people with Medicare have received discounts on brand-name drugs in the Medicare Part D coverage gap, also known as the "donut hole," between January and August of this year. The total value of discounts to people with Medicare in the donut hole is nearly $1 billion through August of this year, with an average savings of $530 per beneficiary.

"Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, more people with Medicare are getting preventive services like mammograms for free," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "The new health care law is also making prescription drugs more affordable for millions of seniors and people with disabilities."

Some of the free preventive services available to people with Medicare include:

-- Mammograms and cervical cancer screenings

-- Annual Wellness Visit

-- Cholesterol and other cardiovascular screenings

-- Colorectal and prostate cancer screenings

"October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month -- a great time for women with Medicare to schedule a free Annual Wellness Visit with their doctors. At that visit they can talk about their personal risk for breast cancer, if they should have a mammogram or how often to have one," said CMS Administrator Donald Berwick, MD. "If you and your doctor decide that a mammogram is in order, Medicare will cover that preventive screening annually, free of charge. Already, more than 4 million women have taken advantage of that benefit this year."

More at link:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/more-people-using-free-preventive-benefits-provided-by-affordable-care-act-2011-10-06