The new Health Care Reform law adopted by Congress requires insurance companies to provide complete coverage for preventive medicine. This means that your insurer has to pay for annual check-ups and cancer screenings and cannot charge you a copay or deductible. The purpose is to try and discover health problems early which will make the treatment more effective and save money in the long run.

There is a long list of screening procedures which will be completely covered under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. They include screenings for breast cancer, cervical cancer and colon cancer. A mammogram can reveal the early stages of breast cancer and alert doctors before the disease spreads to other parts of the body making treatment much more difficult. A colonoscopy is performed to try and detect cancer of the colon. The procedure is very effective at finding pre-cancerous polyps that can be removed before they become cancerous. A colonoscopy is recommended for everyone over 50.

The new law also requires complete coverage for tests that will determine cholesterol levels, blood pressure and blood sugar. Heart disease and stroke are two of the top killers in the United States and identifying people who might be at risk for developing these problems will help them get treatment to avoid a heart attack. In addition to those procedures, the law also states that insurers must cover examinations for things like depression, alcohol abuse and obesity. Read the rest of this entry »